This photo, called "The great swimming", is part of the Wildlife Photographer of the year exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London. (Image credit to Buddhilini de Soyza/Wildlife Photographer of The Year)
This stunning photo shows a group of cheetahs (the world's fastest land sprinters), struggling to swim through a river in Kenya.
A group of male cheetahs were crossing the Talek River in Maasai Mara National Reserve to gain better hunting areas. This striking photo was one of the top-rated entries in the 2021 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year competition.
Buddhilini De Soyza is an amateur photographer and investment banker. She took the photo while on a January 2020 trip to Kenya with her husband and Maasai guide. After spending hours watching the cheetahs move up and down the riverbank, she was able to take the picture. The lead cheetah leapt into the water and the rest of the cheetahs followed.
Live Science's de Soyza said, "I couldn't believe what I saw." "I don’t remember actually clicking [the photo]. They crossed, and I have at least 50 to 60 photos of them. I can only remember shouting, "Oh my God what are they going do?" They're going be dead!
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Although cheetahs (Acinonyx Jubatus) can swim well, they are not as good swimmers as other cats. According to de Soyza, the river in the photo was muddy from heavy rains and flooding. However, the cheetahs had to cross it to reach their larger territory which contained more prey. The photo was taken as the cheetahs reached the most turbulent section of the river.
De Soyza stated that the photo made him feel as though the lead cheetah was speaking to him. "He looks straight at me so it almost feels that he's saying, 'Put the camera down and help me.' They made it across the river, but only after they were dragged by the currents 330 feet (100 m) downstream.
The photo shows four cheetahs that are part of a group called "Tano Bora", which is Maasai/Maa, the Maasai native language. The fifth cheetah, who was reluctant to swim in the water, attempted it slightly later than the others. According to de Soyza who was afraid the cheetah would be gone, he disappeared underwater for around 15 to 20 seconds.
De Soyza stated that "when all five of them crossed we were just celebrating." "We hugged each other, we were crying of joy, and then it almost seemed that the cheetahs had also been high on adrenaline, as they ran onto the savannah to hunt.
The female cheetah is usually alone unless they are raising cubs. However, males can live in small groups of up to three brothers or unrelated males called "coalitions" according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Tano Bora coalition, which consists of five cheetahs, is unusually large. According to de Soyza, one of the five cheetahs left the coalition since the photo was taken.
According to the Natural History Museum of London, the unseasonable, incessant rainfall that could have been linked to climate change caused the worst flooding experienced by local elders during the weeks leading to de Soyza’s Kenya trip. De Soyza witnessed the cheetahs successfully hunting a wildebeest on the same side two days after their plunge.
The Natural History Museum, London produces Wildlife Photographer of the year. On October 15, the museum will open an exhibition that showcases the image of the Cheetahs as well as other entries.
Original publication on Live Science
