WATCH: Cheetah cubs play with gazelle – before baboon steals it from them

A coalition of young cheetah cubs that received a tiny gazelle to hunt were more intrigued with their new friend than interested in hunting it.

Incredible footage shot by Laura Dyer showed the six-month-olds pawing and chasing the tiny fawn their mother has sourced for them.

Unfortunately, their dithering meant a massive baboon was able to bound in and snatch the frightened prey away, where it inevitably met its doom.

A true lesson in the dangers of playing with your food.

Laura captured the action in Kenya’s Masai Mara at the Naboisho Conservancy in December.

She explains: “The cheetah cubs are just under six months old, and their mom caught this newborn baby Thomson’s gazelle for them to learn how to hunt on.

“Of course, they haven’t any idea as this would be the first time they are participating in a hunt, so don’t know how to kill the gazelle.

“This went on under mom’s watchful eye and shepherding for forty minutes or so until a massive male baboon saw the commotion and ran in, stealing the baby gazelle for himself.

“Baboons do sometimes catch and kill prey, but it’s very unusual.

Laura was staying at the Kicheche Valley camp.

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