Incredible! How Kenyan men outrun, capture cheetahs, fastest animals on earth

In 2013, a remarkable story unfolded in northern Kenya that has since lingered in wildlife and community memory. A farmer, distraught after losing most of his goats to marauding cheetahs, turned to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to amplify his appeal for compensation from wildlife authorities.

For nearly two weeks, the farmer’s herd was under siege. Two cheetahs prowled the area, snatching goats and threatening the livelihood of the family. Frustrated but determined, four men devised a daring plan that would test human endurance against the world’s fastest land animal.

They waited until the peak of the afternoon heat, when the cheetahs would be most vulnerable, and launched a chase that stretched across four miles of arid terrain. Though cheetahs can reach breathtaking speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour), their strength lies in short bursts rather than long pursuits. As the chase dragged on, the predators weakened, slowed, and ultimately collapsed from exhaustion.

In a feat that stunned many who later heard the story, the villagers captured the cheetahs alive and handed them over to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). The farmer, however, remained inconsolable over his losses.
“I need compensation because the cheetahs killed most of my goats,” he told the BBC.

The incident spotlighted both the incredible prowess of cheetahs and the tensions that exist where wildlife conservation and rural livelihoods collide. Built for speed, cheetahs are lightweight, long-legged, and able to accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in just a few seconds—faster than many sports cars. Yet their limited stamina makes them vulnerable to persistence hunting, a tactic once common among early humans.

Today, the 2013 chase serves as a vivid reminder of the delicate balance between people and wildlife in Kenya. While cheetahs remain protected, their incursions into grazing lands continue to stir debates on compensation, coexistence, and the survival of both livestock farmers and endangered species.