Recently, a story surrounding a powerful photo of an impala about to be killed by a cheetah circulated the internet.
The story claims that the impala or sometimes called a deer sacrificed herself to the cheetahs to save her young. It also says that the wildlife photographer, Alison Buttigieg, fell into a depression after she took the stunning shot.
The story, however, is complete fiction. Buttigieg took to Facebook a few days ago to share her frustration over the fake story and discussed how the photos actually came to be:
"A highlight of my photography career has turned into a nightmare. My Stranglehold photo went viral in a huge way with a completely ridiculous fake story accompanying it, and implications I fell into depression after I took it (seriously who comes up with this crap?!?) - not to mention the gross copyright violations.
Sensationalism at its best - complete fiction so that people get more likes on their page. The photo with the fake story has been shared hundreds of thousands of times on various social media. I am getting inundated by hundreds and hundreds of messages asking me whether I am the “depressed photographer”. I have been tagged in LinkedIn with the fake story - that’s going to do wonders for my career. What a vile world we live in, full of stupid gullible people spreading fake news like crazy".
She then linked to the real story behind the photo which she captured along with a few more shots in Kenya's Maasai Mara reserve, back in September 2013. It won an international award last year.
The impala was actually used by a cheetah mother to teach her cubs how to hunt prey. The baby cheetahs, however, were more preoccupied with playing with the impala.
The impala was actually used by a cheetah mother to teach her cubs how to hunt prey. The baby cheetahs, however, were more preoccupied with playing with the impala.
Buttigieg figured that the impala was frozen with shock, hence its "calm" demeanor.
"It is disturbing how it seems to be posing in some photos, especially as if determined to stay beautiful and proud until it's very end," she wrote.
"The defiance in its eyes are in stark contrast with its lack of interest in self-preservation."
"This allowed me to get unique pictures of a kill that are seemingly choreographed in their grace. I wanted the viewer to sympathize with the impala, and at the same time witness with me the disturbing nature of this unusual kill."
The cheetah mother eventually slew the impala herself.
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