What Would You Do If a Cheetah Sauntered Across Your Path?

Many people who have never ventured to the African continent are convinced that lions and elephants roam the streets. Some even believe it when Africans joke that they travel to work or school on a pet giraffe. The truth is that many cities in Africa are incredibly cosmopolitan, featuring skyscrapers, highways, large shopping malls, and fancy restaurants. And no, there is no wildlife strolling around. 

Except, as it were, in this video. The clip shows a young cheetah casually walking around a resort lounge in Limpopo, South Africa as if it were the most natural thing in the world! The people sitting at the table on the balcony look far from alarmed, and there even seems to be another wild cat in the background.

@jacog9 African beauty 🇿🇦 #viral #nature #africa #cheetah #pet #fyp #southafrica #SAMA28 #southafricatiktok #explore #viralvideo #foryou #lifestyle #nofilter ♬ Asimbonanga – Johnny Clegg & Savuka

According to the TikTok user who posted the video, which he captioned “King of Speed”, the cheetah is now older and lives in the wild where she hunts for food. 

To prove that a predatory animal being in close proximity is not a normal occurrence, fellow users of the app took to the comments section to share their shock. 

“I would have been on the table in a sec, as if that would have helped,” wrote one. Another quipped, “I would have died 5 times.”

Overall, commenters laughed at how the video has done nothing to debunk the belief that Africans have wildlife as pets.

“Y’all are really making it hard for us to prove we don’t chill with wild animals, how can we defend ourselves after this now.”

Rest assured—most animals like these are confined to zoos and in the bush on safari!