Maybe you can’t predict it, but you can still take a photo of it.
If you’d met me at a party in 2017 and asked me, “Michelle, what’s the likelihood you’ll one day find yourself sitting in the bed of a decrepit pickup truck with an unsecured cheetah?” my answer would have been “Slim to none!” Emphasis on the “none.”
And then I spent January 2018 in Hoesdpruit, South Africa, volunteering at an animal rehabilitation center.

Going for a drive with Adara the cheetah. (Photo by Michelle W.)
Adara can’t be re-released into the wild, so he’s being habituated to humans and will become an ambassador animal, going with rehab staff to teach people about threats to local wildlife and how animals can be relocated safely. That means lots of interaction with new people and practice going on car rides to new places, and that’s how we ended up in the pickup truck together.
It’s a funny thing; when you do find yourself in a truck with a cheetah, and you scratch his ears while he purrs, you don’t spend a lot of time thinking “This cheetah could totally eat my face right now,” even thought it’s undeniably true. He purrs, and you scratch, and you feel somehow more and less human, simultaneously — more alive, less siloed in your non-cheetah-scratching human life. It’s an Experience, with a capital E.
My point here is threefold:
- Never say never.
- If you ever have the opportunity to hang out in a pickup with an apex predator*, go for it.
- This week’s challenge is to share a photo of something unlikely.
An object or person in an unlikely place, an unpredictable experience, a serendipitous accident: we want the expected.
* Obviously this advice only applies if the animal in question has been acclimated to humans and you’re with trained animal handlers. Please don’t get into a minivan alone with a wild tiger or something. That should be a thing I don’t need to say, but you can never be too safe on the internet.
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Love that shot and what a great experience!
janet
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Wow, that is crazy, surprise element….
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This does sound like a surreal but amazing moment!
I love your caveat at the end too. 😉
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Fantastic.
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Here is mine: http://stenoodie.com/2018/05/02/weekly-photo-challenge-unlikely/
Happy Wednesday, everyone!
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That sounds like an amazing experience!
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My house in an eye of a bird:
https://insellos.wordpress.com/2018/05/03/weekly-photo-challenge-unlikely/
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Ohh no! I wouldn’t dare. Although life may happen at some point, I’m not just looking forward to it.
Quite brave, Michelle.
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Whats this photo challenge all about?
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To participate, all you have to do is publish a post on your own blog with a photo that illustrates your interpretation of the theme — “unlikely.” How you decide to interpret that is up to you 🙂
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So……………can it be an internet photo or do you have to make the photo yourself?
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It should be a photo you’ve taken yourself.
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Okay……….will do!
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Wow! You are courageous!
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Wow! That’s just amazing. What a wonderful experience, to scratch and stroke it and to hear it purr. Bliss. Katie
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I like your subheading at least you can take a picture of it. I might add if you’re lucky. You sure were.
Here are a few of my surprises https://piecesofstarlight.wordpress.com/2018/05/02/wfc/
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Oh this is indeed a very unlikely photo capture. This will indeed be a most excellent challenge this week. Thank you.
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Magnificent shot. What an opportunity that was! https://castelsarrasin.wordpress.com/2018/05/02/unlikely-weekly-photo-challenge/
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This makes me think.
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Great shot – and a great experience! Mine was not that overwhelming of course…but still an unlikely moment. https://lagottocattleya.wordpress.com/2018/05/02/wpc-unlikely/
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Bringing Up Baby? All you need is Cary Grant and a set of easily collapsible dinosaur bones.
Leopards are the most interesting of cats — well, along with cheetahs. I always wanted to “have” a big cat, but I understood it was not going to happen because the world was running out of them and I was not quite “the world.” GREAT story. Wonderful, elegant story!
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Amazing! 🙂 I’m quite jealous – well done you! 🙂
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What an amazing experience you had!
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Sounds wonderful! But actually quite scary….
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What a beauty! 🙂 🙂 I suspect we’ll have trouble finding an image as unlikely as this, Michelle.
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here is my post, it really was fun-https://finallyunchained.blog/2018/05/02/tour-turned-sour/
🙂
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Adara is gorgeous.
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SO AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
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I envy you!!
Long time since I’ve been in Hoedspruit! Even longer since I’ve been within 50 meters of a real live cheetah!
Just by the way… do you mean…
… we want the unexpected?
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The theme this week is “unlikely,” so we expect to see lots of photos of expected things/places/people.
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Just wow! What an experience.
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I would love to experience being that close to a cheetah. WoW¡
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amazing!… you’re right ! never say never
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It’s beautiful…
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Unbelievable! What an incredible experience. The next tiger toting pick up truck has my name on it! Thank you for sharing!
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