A mother cheetah bravely confronted a sizable lion that was attempting to ᴋɪʟʟ her young in Kᴇɴʏᴀ, and the confrontation was caught on camera. A local guide witnessed the dramatic events as the mother cheetah ʀɪsᴋed her own safety to defend her offspring.

In the video, the 330-pound lion, which is three times heavier than the cheetah, was on the prowl in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The images show that the ʜᴜɴᴛer initially succeeded in trying to split the mother cheetah from her young.

The mother cheetah, though, was quick to act. Despite the ʜᴜɴᴛer’s size and strength, the mother lacked ғᴇᴀʀ and remained in her place to guard her babies. The lion was sᴛᴀʀᴛʟᴇd when she eventually changed into the prey. 35-year-old Kisemei Saruni, who was present in the reserve at the time, captured the occurrence on camera from 130 meters away.

According to Saruni, while on a routine automobile trip, a male lion protruded from a nearby bush. The lion was lazing around his territory when he came across the cheetah and the cubs. When the lion approached the cubs, the mother cheetah originally gave up and ran, but she later changed her mind and drove the lion away.