15th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Altered Images
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In one of my recent Masai Mara trip I was just concentrating only on cheetah hunts. So me and my guide we spoted a cheetah and spend the whole day watching it closly. This happened for many days and on the second last day of my trip this cheetah targeted a small gazelle. This is the same moment when I observed some area where the grass was burned. So I asked my guide to park the vehicle in such a way that if the cheetah comes that way I can capture a good frame. Luckily the cheetah started running towards the gazelle exactly the way i wanted and I was able to capture it running in between the black grass with a dust forming behind its legs creating a magical frame. But the end was more astonishing. The cheetah started playing with the gazelle fawn like its own cub and then after sometime set it free to its mother. Even the animals value the life of other animals.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2016
Date Uploaded: 11.2017
Photo Location: Masai Mara, Kenya
Copyright: © THOMAS VIJAYAN