A wailing cheetah youngster was ruthlessly kidnapped and carried into water by a lurking crocodile.
A spectacular wildlife film from WildEarth shows the youngster captured as it reached down for a drink from a safari vehicle at the &Beyond Phinda nature reserve in South Africa.
The male cheetah cub was one of two cubs at the waterhole when the sighting happened around midday.
While the mother would normally accompany her cub to the waterhole, it was unknown why she remained behind – off-screen with the second club.
The dramatic sequence begins with the cheetah reaching down for a drink, obviously aware of the danger as it growls at the croc, but not fearful enough to prevent it from filling its severe thirst.
‘Oh no!’ the safari guide could be heard crying out.
‘That’s so close to the crocodile!’
The cheetah had been hiding along the water’s edge, the croc barely visible beneath the stream, until it surged out and gripped the cub’s neck with its fangs.
The croc rushed out of the water with its entire body virtually visible at the terrifying moment.
The cheetah baby tried to fight back, using its legs and paws to scrape away from the croc, but it was pulled into the water after a catastrophic struggle.
The splashes were audible, as were the cub’s horrified squeals as it was pulled beneath.
The water returned to a deadly silence shortly after the croc splashed about with its victim.
Following the attack, the mother and other cub were left searching for the fallen cub.
They waited for the late cub for days at the waterhole bank.
Although cheetahs are among the most nimble animals, crocodiles are superior in the water, and the cub was virtually certain to perish when the croc pulled it into deep water and drowned it.
As the water calmed, it was supposed that the croc buried its prey in the muck and waited for it to decay before devouring it.
The terrifying event was seen on WildEarth, a channel that broadcasts daily Sunrise and Sunset Safaris from South Africa, with live broadcasts replicating the exhilarating feeling of being on a safari vehicle in isolated African settings.
WildEarth is available to watch on Freeview channel 91.
