A video showing how a cheetah tries to pounce on a baby – who is safely behind a closed glass window – has gone viral.

However, carnivore expert Gerrie Camacho says this behaviour is quite normal for a cheetah or any other big cat.

According to the Daily Mail, a seven-month-old baby was looking out of a large window at the Cheetah Safari Lodge at West Midland Safari Park in England when the incident occurred.

The video, taken on January 29, shows the baby looking into the darkness through the glass window. Moments later, a cheetah appears and pounces – only to slam into the window.

“A baby is small and vulnerable, which makes it an easy target for a cheetah. Even if you carry a baby in your arms at a zoo, an animal like a lion or even a leopard will have their eyes on the child,” says Camacho, who is with the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency.

The baby’s position on the floor also made him more visible to the cheetah.

“A lion, leopard or cheetah will try to capitalise on a situation like this. This is not abnormal behaviour for a cheetah. Even if a cheetah is used to human interaction, it would still be normal behaviour.”

Camacho says cheetahs that are ‘tame’ and allow humans to touch, would still attack in a situation like this. “The wild instinct kicks in easily. A cheetah can be conditioned to such an extent that it sleeps in the same bed as a human, but it will still display this kind of behaviour when the opportunity arises.”