r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/plankton004 • 2h ago

🔥 This cheetah introduces a photographer to her little one

6.5k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

231 comments sorted by

•

u/qualityvote2 2h ago edited 1h ago

u/plankton004, your post does fit the subreddit!

→ More replies (1)

1.0k

u/cuddly_degenerate 2h ago

Resisting the urge to pet a cheetah cub is a high bar to clear.

88

u/Nanas_700k 2h ago

At a minimum a little pspspsps and maybe a lil snoot boop

139

u/pm_me_fibonaccis 2h ago

Was thinking that too.

Gotta be an animal lover to do a job like this. 

42

u/LumplessWaffleBatter 1h ago

It makes me think of the hopeful-vet-to-nurse pipeline.

A lot of people want to be veterinarians because they love animals.  Once they realize that the profession involves wrestling and euthanizing animals, they become reasonably-misanthropic nurses. 

•

u/FermentedForeskins 16m ago

sometimes putting them down is the humane way i guess, world sucks

→ More replies (1)

49

u/Black_Hole_Bagel 1h ago

Imagine you're literally being trusted enough to witness this close up. Feels unreal. ❤️

https://giphy.com/gifs/lGBecpB2dIMwt6ohfI

35

u/adudeguyman 1h ago

I was petting them through my phone, including their mom.

9

u/ThomasRVA123 1h ago

i was basically petting the whole cheetah family through my screen too. bonus points if a cute guy is beside me doing the exact same thing

23

u/PavicaMalic 1h ago

I have petted adult cheetahs (only ones in sanctuaries), and they purr just like domestic cats, only louder.

9

u/Infamous-Oil3786 45m ago

Motorcycle cats

26

u/oswaldcopperpot 2h ago

Probably cut that out of the video or turned it off first.

8

u/kate3544 1h ago

Exactly my thought.

6

u/Hotlikessauce69 1h ago

Yeah I absolutely know I wouldn't be able to resist and die by cheetah. Worth it!

4

u/Dirty_Dragons 46m ago

The mom seems like she wouldn't care.

No sudden movements and you could pet them and have them climb on you.

2

u/Possible_Budget_1087 1h ago

Or to grab one.

2

u/faster_than_sound 1h ago

I would be so weak in this moment if I was the photographer.

•

u/Lostintimeandspac 18m ago

Yeah, don't think I could do that.

•

u/Sorlex 4m ago

Photographer must have a willpower made of iron.

•

u/itsculturehero 3m ago

There is no documented evidence of a cheetah attacking a human.

Remain friendly/gentle and you can pet them and their cubs (some even own them as pets- but they belong in the wild, not a millionaires basement).

297

u/MichaelScoon19 2h ago

‘You’re gonna wanna photograph this’

65

u/CompetitiveGrab843 1h ago edited 1h ago

One after another after another, the tiny cavalry arrives. Mom, enough with this cuteness 😭♥️

•

u/Winjin 25m ago

Title misled me in the best way possible

The title promised cub, singular

168

u/Cattleist 2h ago

So cute. Cheetahs are great.

38

u/Noodle_pantz 2h ago

I went to their lounge once. Did not see one cheetah.

8

u/majorflojo 1h ago

I wonder if you've got more attention at the 2:00 dressed up in Safari gear, all khaki with the photographer's vest.

2

u/jrnfl 2h ago

Ft. Lauderdale?

2

u/bain_de_beurre 1h ago

There's ones in San Diego too

2

u/b_vitamin 1h ago

Club cheetah? The club amnesia?

2

u/fucknugggets 1h ago

Sure it wasn't a cougars den ?

•

u/SargentSnorkel 23m ago

bet you saw some cougars though.

•

u/jspeed04 15m ago

Surely there were some pussy cats in there, though.

155

u/PavicaMalic 2h ago

This video was taken by Nick Kleer in Tanzania. Kleer is a well-known wildlife photographer who leads photo safaris and has taken some amazing shots.

27

u/CheekyMenace 1h ago edited 1h ago

There's a short documentary by him on YouTube about it called, Wild Connection.
https://youtu.be/9cm753kp0uo?is=WO3n8lT1ZbbpeGA_

•

u/sassergaf 8m ago

Thank you u/CheekyMenace. What an exceptional video of Nick Kleer. I hope more cheetahs become available to them to help expand the cheetah gene pool in Tanzania.

•

u/CheekyMenace 3m ago

No problem, yw! He's getting to live such an amazing experience with those beautiful cats! I'm so jealous lol!

•

u/carlotta3121 4m ago

That's beautiful, thanks for linking it, they're awesome people.

13

u/some_kid_with_parrot 1h ago

How can he get to cheetas so close? How are they so calm?

34

u/PavicaMalic 1h ago

Most cheetahs are very docile. In Tanzania, they have been known to perch on photo safari vehicles (and have even climbed inside). Wild cheetahs in South Africa are usually more aloof.

7

u/RousingRabble 1h ago

Is it because they are in a protected area and know they won't be hurt? I wondered about that recently while hiking in a protected park and noticed some of the wildlife that would usually run away from me didn't.

9

u/wehooper4 37m ago

In the case of Cheetahs it’s more the things that attack them are much more afraid of humans (for good reason). They are not nearly as tough as try big cats, so the need to do everything possible to avoid getting in fights.

•

u/BreckyMcGee 6m ago

Thank you for the context. So I would assume that the Cheetah, while not tame, has been around this guy many times before

138

u/creaturefeature16 2h ago

I can't get over the adorable squeaks of adult Cheeteahs, considering they're also walking death machines. 

60

u/John-AtWork 1h ago

They don't attack humans. A lot of wealthy people have kept them have pets and have tried to breed them in captivity, but have failed. Another interesting fact: the white-ish stripe down the kitten's back are there to make them look like honey badgers, an animal that is notorious for being fierce -- to increase their odds of survival. Evolution is pretty amazing.

28

u/Roxalon_Prime 58m ago

Them not breeding in captivity is probably the only reason why the are not domesticated

→ More replies (2)

2

u/Pretend_Accountant41 32m ago

I was amazed at the fur pattern, cool fact! Nature is fkn lit

•

u/citrus_mystic 25m ago

Elites throughout history have kept cheetahs as prized hunting companions art and info here

16

u/Kitselena 1h ago

Cheetahs are the largest small cats, so they meow and squeak like housecats instead of roaring like a lion or tiger would

6

u/OllieFidelius 33m ago

And purr. Something afaik the big cats branch like lions and such cant do. But they roar instead.

1

u/Bertrum 33m ago

They're pretty fragile and don't really have the same upper body strength like Lions or Jaguars. They're not really built for standing their ground and getting into long brawls.

92

u/Affectionate-Cap-920 2h ago

I'm telling you guys, cheetah are cats which we forgot to domasticate

76

u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 2h ago

We actually tried a lot but they don't breed in captivity well

26

u/PawTree 1h ago

Did you watch this video, too?

I knew cheetahs were comparatively easy to tame, and I knew about the fox experiment, but I had never considered that cheetahs were never successfully domesticated, or why.

30

u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 1h ago

Nope just knew it. The Mughals emperors of India tried for centuries to domesticate them. Then ended up just capturing them from the wild when that didn't work.

12

u/i_love_wasps 1h ago

Wow, you must be pretty old.

3

u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 1h ago

38?

4

u/NurseOtaku 37m ago

Jesus man. You've lived a good, long life. Hella props to you.

4

u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 37m ago

I hate all of you

5

u/PawTree 1h ago

Yes, fascinating!

2

u/Dirty_Dragons 41m ago

That said, now that we know the conditions to breed cheetahs, it may start being more common.

•

u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 21m ago

True, but they eat a fuck load and people are weird about keeping animals as pets today. It's hard to feed an animal that needs that much raw meat in a day.

Still when lab grown meat becomes cheap enough it might be more possible

I do hope they are though because pets are what animals will survive forever

•

u/Dirty_Dragons 5m ago

Oh, domesticating them is a whole different beast.

For now, zoos and nature sanctuaries should be able to breed them.

While it would be cool to have a cheetah pet, that's probably a thousand years away.

•

u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 5m ago

Yeah likely

11

u/Cambrian__Implosion 59m ago

This is only tangentially related, but relevant to cheetahs in captivity.

Cheetahs can be quite anxious animals, to the point where their physical health can suffer in captivity. Mothers also sometimes abandon single cubs that don’t have siblings, so they have to be raised by people. Sometimes when a zoo or wildlife refuge receives an abandoned or orphaned cub, they pair it with an “emotional support” dog as a companion.

Having the dog as a sort of surrogate sibling helps to calm the cheetah down and gives it a playmate to interact with. How much time the dog spends with the cheetah varies from place to place, but usually they’re with them at least during the day. I once spent the better part of an hour just watching a cheetah hang out and play with its yellow lab adoptive brother and it was just so wholesome and entertaining. As a lover of both nature and dogs, I highly recommend it.

7

u/PavicaMalic 1h ago

Ann van Dyk/ de Wildt Cheetah conservancy in South Africa was the first facility to breed cheetahs in captivity. They rehabilitate and re-wild cheetahs and care for ones that cannot be released due to injury.

2

u/alone-in-the-town 1h ago

Cheetahs need to be free!

2

u/Greymalkyn76 1h ago

Cheetahs never prosper.

8

u/Unique-Coffee5087 2h ago

Chewing at home?

2

u/queloqueslks 33m ago

Is that a Creed quote that didnt make the Final Cut? It’s possible, there would be no way of knowing.

•

u/Character-Active2208 24m ago

Actually some people were on that path at one point but a LOT of fuckery happened between cheetahs and their habitats and humans and we’re just lucky there’s any left

32

u/aetherhaze 1h ago

Seems to me that cheetahs are somewhat interested in being domesticated. Not committed. But would like to read the brochure.

12

u/PavicaMalic 1h ago

There's Zeus, an elderly cheetah at a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa who wanders in the house and sleeps on the sofa. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaswgC2KgsQ/?stkn=bTN6NjI3eDY5NWY1

22

u/8BBiiT 2h ago

Cheetos 🔥

50

u/ronweasleisourking 2h ago

Couldn't do it. Would have to the cat

54

u/FreeColdBeer 2h ago

Please don't the cat.

16

u/aeyl 2h ago

I'd go straight to jail, no complaints. Must the cat!!

11

u/mibanar 1h ago

Why would anyone not the cat anyway?

7

u/FowlOnTheHill 1h ago

Once I the cat, now I cannot the uncat

3

u/NotInTheKnee 1h ago

Some think you can't the cat, but me think I can the cat.

16

u/Daws001 1h ago

Crazy that nature baked so much cuteness into a predator with super speed.

7

u/FowlOnTheHill 1h ago

The entire cat family, they’ve got killer and cute down.

2

u/Daws001 1h ago

"We're cute, cuddly, and we'll decimate your local bird population. Meow." - Cats

12

u/Fumquat 1h ago

I love how the last kitten takes the closest path possible, only to give the photographer a warning look halfway down…

4

u/AndyBuncie 46m ago

Baby hissy lol

13

u/Foreverforgettable 1h ago

“Kids meet Jake. He’s our family photographer.”

-Mama Cheetah

12

u/jerkface1026 2h ago

"Yo, keep watch, I need to feed my kids."

27

u/SirLovesPeaches 2h ago

Kids, learn. Mama gonna show you how to get meal on the table.

8

u/batsharklover1007 1h ago

I love the cape of fur the little Cheetos have.

9

u/amiwearingpants 1h ago

A fun tidbit — The gray cape of fur on a young cheetah’s back is also called a mantle! It’s to help them camouflage with the grass, but it also mimics the stripe that you see on badgers. Most of the animal kingdom knows not to mess with badgers since they’re astonishingly fierce and fearless, so predators are deterred from attacking the cubs if they look like one.

And has the bonus of being adorable :)

2

u/batsharklover1007 1h ago

Thank you, I didn’t know that. Makes perfect sense.

22

u/AgreeablePanda9805 2h ago

This is nature’s equivalent of a Hollywood show mom.

“Check out my babies. Cute aren’t they? Take their photos/videos!”

Lol

16

u/RealisticPower5859 2h ago

The way she never stops scanning, looking out for potential dangers before introducing the most amazingly beautiful creation she made herself ❤️🐾

15

u/toxon_94 2h ago

The cat distribution system is very compelling regarding the domestication of cheetahs, it's all just a matter of time.

3

u/wehooper4 31m ago

They don’t bread in captivity, otherwise it would have already happened. They have a temperament more adapted to it than African wild cats (domestic cats’s wild cousins) but won’t make more cheetahs babies so no progress has ever been made.

4

u/Queen_Cheetah 1h ago

"Little one" implies ONE baby- this is three. Please change the warning so we can avoid squee-induced heart attacks, thank you. XD

6

u/Elvoen 1h ago

How is it so tame? Can't imagine a momma bear with three cubs doing this. No previous contact with humans?

13

u/Apex_Konchu 1h ago edited 1h ago

Cheetahs are pretty docile. They're still dangerous in the way that anything with teeth and claws can be dangerous, but they're very unlikely to attack a human. And this particular cheetah is probably used to interacting with humans.

3

u/J3sush8sm3 1h ago

Probably a safari type area where they are used to humans being around

4

u/SubstantialDamage754 1h ago edited 1h ago

I had a momma bear and her cubs close to me last week. I have a patch of grass in my backyard that they like to play in at night. But bears start coming out at like 5. I’m in a big community that’s mostly woods in Flat Rock, NC mountains. My backyard is part of a wildlife trail.
Anyways I went outside and there they were. The 2 cubs were 20 feet behind. The bear was 5 feet from me. It froze and I talked to it. It took another step toward me. I took photos. Then I moved left some to get better pics of the cubs. That’s when mom retreated to the cubs and they left. Bears are scaredy cats. Well, black bears are. I see them on night hikes or on certain mt roads. This time of the year they are trying to get full for winter so you see them a lot. My old neighborhood I’d do yard work while they went through my neighbors trash.

Grizzlies and brown bears are more aggressive I think.

5

u/C4LLgirl 1h ago

Black bears are closer to big ass raccoons than they are to grizzlies. Grizzlies will absolutely fuck you shit up and are not frightened of you at all. I’ve seen a few videos of house cats chasing off black bears. No grizzly is putting up with that shit.

1

u/SubstantialDamage754 1h ago

Is a brown in between would you say?

•

u/Sorlex 0m ago

Its a safari zone, they are used to people and likely more so this photographer. Cheetahs are also not murder hobos.

4

u/DevillesAbogado 1h ago

Don’t put your kids on social media, Cheetah

4

u/Bingoviini 1h ago

Cheetahs are not actually big cats/panthers, like Lions, Tigers, Leopards, etc, and they're techically closer to just regular house cats.

Still, wild animal = dangerous do not pet.

4

u/Complex-Ad-4402 1h ago

I love cheetah's cubs. Did you know they have a white back to look like honey badger?

3

u/eemort 2h ago

Amazing ♥

3

u/nonja-bidness 2h ago

kookacheetah

14

u/roulettewiz 2h ago

Mom cheetah was like: kids, dinner is here!

11

u/Stuckingfupid 1h ago

They don't eat people. There aren't even any documented records of wild cheetahs killing a human. They flee from danger rather than fight.

7

u/TheRealPizvo 1h ago

Nah. They are very docile, weak and fragile creatures who avoid fights at all cost, especially against a larger and stronger predator like a human. They are not a big cat like lions and leopards but the largest of the small cats who put all their survival points on speed. They don't see us as food and are very quick to recognize calm friendly people like nature researchers and photographers as safe to be around. That's why their small cousins domesticated themselves two separate times in history and why we are able to keep most members of their genetic subfamily as pets. Even when aggressive and agitated, they are no more a threat to you than a medium sized dog.

In fact, humans have tried to domesticate cheetahs several times in history and the only issue was that they are shy slow breeders and stress easily so it's impossible to maintain a self-sustaining domestic population. They are issued companion dogs in zoos because they get depressed and are usually handled by staff directly with no safety gear, which includes direct medical checks without harness or sedation.

Tl;dr - they are just timid oversized cats.

4

u/pipsqueakpanda4 2h ago

*little ones

2

u/Jail-bot 2h ago

Who is the original uploader please?

3

u/PavicaMalic 1h ago

The photographer is Nick Kleer. He leads photo safaris and posts incredible pictures on his IG and YouTube.

2

u/Jail-bot 1h ago

Thanks mate :)

1

u/PavicaMalic 1h ago

I have met him. He's a great guy. He and Dereck & Beverly Joubert (based in Botswana) are incredible photographers who really know wild cat habits. The Jouberts have documented the massive lions who have taken up swimming in the Okavango Delta.

2

u/catslikepets143 1h ago

What a great mom! She’s gotten THREE cubs to this size!

Videographer has moms trust for sure

2

u/HyperrrMouse 1h ago

I think they want to be domesticated.

2

u/Substantial_Meal_530 1h ago

"Mama's gotta go get dinner little ones. I found this baby sitter for you while I'm gone.

2

u/beyondocean 1h ago

Kinda kills me to know that the British and their puppet kings in colonial India, killed all the native Asiatic cheetah.

2

u/plankton004 1h ago

Puurrrrrr 🔥

2

u/Live-Tomorrow-4865 1h ago

I have a photo somewhere in my hot mess of a phone gallery, wherein my tabby girl once sat transfixed for upwards of 20 min./half hour watching this cheetah show on TV. ❤️ It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen a cat do, and she's been my little mini cheetah ever since!

2

u/AryaNeedleStark 53m ago

Mom was like-“You can see it, but no touchy “

1

u/Thunder_breslin 2h ago

The babies: "Yes"

1

u/BubuDudu0430 1h ago

Absolutely beautiful 🤩

1

u/No-Objective2424 1h ago

That photographer is in a box covered with shrubbery. Ain’t no way. No. Way.

1

u/DaphneNScoobyDoo 1h ago

This is adorable!

1

u/Minimum-Amount-1894 1h ago

The wild thornberries really skewed reality for me I instantly thought "No, yeah she is definitely friends with this man, I bet he knows all the cubs names."

1

u/currentlyRedacted 1h ago

Misleading title: there are three Cheetos!

1

u/AinsleyIsIndecisive 1h ago

Two of them?? .. THREE OF THEM?!?

1

u/SnooPets8873 1h ago

The urge to boop must’ve been intense.

1

u/mr_martin_1 1h ago

Plural.
Surprise attack.

1

u/ThrowRAkakareborn 1h ago

They’re sooooooo cuuuuuuute, would love to have one a few months when they babies

1

u/Tewcool2000 1h ago

Their little full-back mohawks are so freaking cute and cool

1

u/pablo_kickasso 1h ago

If I ever go to one of these places I'm guaranteed to die of pspspsps

1

u/faster_than_sound 1h ago

This is why Cheetahs will always be my favorite of the big cats. They are just really large housecats in many ways. I love them so much.

1

u/CynicalCereal 1h ago

The cheetos

1

u/So_HauserAspen 58m ago

Glad it happened to someone who appreciated the moment

1

u/NeverAngel-Sin 57m ago

”Hey kiddos, come look at this weirdo. No it’s okey, this one’s not dangerous, yes I asked them. Come on, let’s go get you some nice threats for saying hi to the scary photographer, you where so brave!”

  • mom cheetah probably

1

u/el_torko 55m ago

Boop those snoots

1

u/dirywhiteboy 54m ago

There is not a single recorded cheetah attack on a human

1

u/neo_the_cat 53m ago

Hey kids, dinnertime!

1

u/shaggyscoob 51m ago

Which animals are as dangerous as mama bears around their babies? I'm going to assume all of them, but this cheetah mama seems pretty chill.

1

u/CCV21 50m ago

Adorable!

1

u/14high 48m ago

"hurry up boys, family photo time"

1

u/Dirty_Dragons 48m ago

Mama bear

"Stay away from my cubs or I'll gut you!"

Mama cheetah

"So here are my cubs, can you watch them while I head out? Thanks!"

1

u/Nakata1111 48m ago

I would get my face slashed trying to pet the cubs.

1

u/SeeLeavesOnTheTrees 44m ago

Love that the little guys are practicing being ferocious… even though they still have their RIDICULOUS baby toupees

1

u/Alienhaslanded 44m ago

Why photographer no give scratches?

1

u/soccerbryce 36m ago

Gotta be up there for cutest kittens

1

u/coldnomaad 35m ago

Cheetah was like... Come on guys it's photo time!!

1

u/dyrkasolen 33m ago

It's there always one dude saying AI slop?

1

u/PinkTurdsInSpace 32m ago

Buncha fuzzheads

1

u/Immediate-Song6861 32m ago

Worst job on earth fr, can't pet

•

u/drifters74 28m ago

I'd lose a finger trying to pet either of them, worth it

•

u/mistermpm 21m ago

3rd cub, just for a split second, had some spicy thoughts 😄

•

u/AvocaRed 18m ago

Aww cute cheetah and little cheetos

•

u/ItsOkaytoNotFeelOkay 17m ago

"Children come! The photographer's here!! Quick, let's get our family picture done before he's gone! Their kind are very shy around us!"

•

u/OutlandishnessOk8356 16m ago

Little three

•

u/fighterforthewindow 16m ago

"This is Huey, Dewey, and Louise"

•

u/NathanThurm 15m ago

"Mother, I wish for crab rangoon."

•

u/Tamdin_Nidmat 15m ago

It's soo fluffy!
And friend-shaped.

•

u/Movin_On1 14m ago

Did she want him to babysit?

•

u/No_Hyena_2111 13m ago

Don't care how many times I see this I'm not getting bored of it

•

u/Altruistic_Age_6556 13m ago

Are cheetahs aggressive towards humans? Was this a trail cam?

•

u/The-Sofa-King 12m ago

Why they got frosted tips?

•

u/Magical_Love_Bubble 11m ago

I love this video, saving it🥰

•

u/sVANJ 9m ago

They are the dogs of the cat world

•

u/ValitoraXIII 8m ago

Dang those big fast murder machines are to cute 🥰

•

u/Electronic-Load-2055 8m ago

Seems like you're being interviewed to babysit the cubs in the future!

•

u/Dontruinthisforme 7m ago

Little dude hissed at him near the end lol

•

u/NectarineSame7303 5m ago

Cat brings little ones to human daycare center

•

u/DragonFlyCaller 4m ago

She knew the world had to see

•

u/Reasonable2aPoint 2m ago

I could die happy and fulfilled after an encounter like this. It's a peak life experience!

•

u/Andy_Pandy98 2m ago

FRIEND SHAPED AND FRIEND!

•

u/CaribeBaby 0m ago

That little hiss at the end. 😻

•

u/Training-Dirt-6259 0m ago

I was like..what her gots three babies! Oh my goodness Mama! Then that last little one with the quick hiss...i cant..this is just too sweet! Thanks for sharing this OP...i love it!!

-2

u/AffectionateBall4648 2h ago

Why isn't the cheetah attacking? He in a car or something?

→ More replies (9)