The cheetah and the internet ‘telephone game’

I read the below and wondered if it were true

The incident occurred in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. The wildlife photographer, named John Chaney, unexpectedly woke from a nap under a tree to find a sleeping cheetah cuddled against him. This surprising encounter highlights the unique and sometimes intimate moments that can occur in the wild.

Well the story is true but at the same time it isn’t: here is the full story. It happened in South Africa, not the Maasai Mara. And it happened in a cheetah park, where the animals tend to be habituated to humans (Cheetah are quite difficult to rehabilitate as they can quickly become tamer). The photographer’s name is Dolph Volker not John Chaney. And he was not having a nap.

I hate having to be so sceptical all the time. It reminds me of the children’s ‘telephone game’ where messages are whispered from person to person and become mangled in the telling.