Dramatic images captured by Kisemei Saruni, 35, at the Maasai Mara National Reserve revealed the moment the cheetah fled from the lion before turning the tables and chasing the would-be hunter away.

Saruni, that caught the pictures from 130 metres away, said: ‘I was on a normal drive tour while we were viewing a leopard and her cubs when a male lion appeared of a bush not far from us. ‘The lion was simply casually strolling around his territory when he saw the cheetah and the cubs.

The lion ran to the cubs and at first the mama cheetah surrendered and ran away, only to change her mind and chase the lion away.’ A cheetah chase normally lasts less than a min and covers just 200-300 metres. At full speed, the cheetah takes three strides a 2nd, covering seven-metres per stride. Cheetah females are solitary creatures and normally raise their cubs alone, hiding them in dens by day, and teaching them hunting skills as they grow.

With her mother’s instincts beginning, the cheetah spun around and gave chase to the lion, turning the tables and causing the larger cat to flee

The cheetah acts to drive the lion in a direction away from her cubs. A cheetah chase normally lasts less than a minute and covers just 200-300 metres

With a possible dish in sight, the lion attempted to separate the young cubs from their mother by chasing her away across the plain

With the lion having been successfully chased away, the mother cheetah adopts a defensive position next to her cubs

The 300lb man lion was seen delicately strolling around his territory at the Maasai Mara National Get in Kenya prior to he spotted the family of cheetahs

With no immediate threat of danger to her cubs, the mother cheetah sits down and surveys the area, with her cubs sat around