A formidable impala had a miraculous escape after it managed to shake off five cheetahs who attacked it in Kenya.
The male buck somehow stayed on its feet as the predators leapt on its back and dug their claws in to try and bring it down.
The impala stands firm as a mother cheetah and her four cubs try and drag it to the ground with one jumping on its back
The mother cheetah, called Selenkei, pounced on the 160lb beast and clung to its neck before her four cubs joined the hunt
The male buck antelope kicked and struggled as it desperately fought to stay on its feet during the onslaught in Kenya
Eventually it manages to shrug them off and bolts away from the exhausted cheetahs.
The attack was captured in a remarkable series of photos by British photographer Kevin Rooney, 53, from Cheltenham
Fully grown impalas can weigh over 160lbs and stand at around 4ft tall and can leap over 10ft obstacles to escape prey
The impala somehow managed to shake off the five cheetahs after a desperate struggle and managed to escape
‘Amazingly, after a few seconds, the impala managed to shake off the five fearsome predators and fled – leaving them in the dust. It was an amazing sight to see.’
The impala was first stalked by the mother cheetah who pounced and got her claws into him after a short chase
The impala managed to stay on its feet as the first cheetah leapt on its back and sunk its teeth in before four others attacked
The cheetah is seen here chasing the impala before she was joined by her four cubs who launched a relentless attack