A French family on holiday in the Netherlands have had a narrow escape at the Beekse Bergen safari park after being chased by cheetahs.

A video circulating on YouTube shows how the family got out of their car twice, only to make a run for it after the cheetahs moved in for the kill.

First two adults got out of the car with a child to get a closer look at a group of cheetahs, much to the surprise of the Dutch people in the following car, who filmed the incident.

They got back in their car and drove off, only to be spotted a short while later walking on the heather fields close to the animals. The cheetahs then got up and started moving towards them in a menacing fashion. The French tourists quickly returned to their car.

A spokesman for the safari park told broadcaster NOS that it is strictly forbidden to leave your car during the visit. ‘We inform visitors about the risks in several languages throughout the park,’ the spokesman said.

In 2009, a nine-year-old boy was bitten on the arm by a cheetah after leaving his family’s car.