This is the jaw-dropping moment a French family narrowly escapes being attacked by cheetahs in a Dutch safari park.

Video footage filmed by a witness shows the tourists being chased by the cheetahs after getting out of their car to take photos.

Beekse Bergen is a drive-through African wildlife safari park, in the south of the Netherlands, where visitors are under strict instruction not to leave their cars.

Danger: The family got out of their car - despite the safari park's strict instructions not to do so - near the cheetahs, which came running after them

However, a family of five appears to have missed this instruction and is seen getting out in the middle of the park where some cheetahs are sunning themselves - twice.

The tourists filming in the car behind them cannot believe their eyes when the group climb out of a French-registered car to take snaps of the predators.

They then drive a little further down the road and get out again, stepping onto a small hill just feet away from where the cheetahs are resting.

Unsurprisingly, the cheetahs - the world's fastest land animal - get up and start to run towards the group, seemingly made up of three adults and two children.

Madness: Despite knowing fully well that they were in close proximity of the fastest animal on the planet, and a predator to boot, the family got out of their car with their small children

That takes guts: The mother picks up the youngest child and shoos off the cheetahs

Last mad dash: Amazingly, all five people from the group make it back to their car

The tourists spot the cheetahs at the last minute and make a panicked dash for the car.

They all run for their lives, bar one of the women, who is seen picking up the youngest child and shooing the cheetahs away as she strides to the car.

They all manage to get back into their vehicle and drive off, to the amazement of the Dutch person behind the camera.

A spokesman for Beekse Bergen park said they make it very clear that it is forbidden to leave your vehicle.

'We inform visitors about the risks in several languages throughout the park,' the spokesman told Dutch broadcaster NOS.