The cheetah pack stood on the banks of the raging Talek River, searching for a suitable place to cross. 

Jump into the shallow stretches, and they could be snatched by lurking crocodiles. But leap into the raging rapids, and they risked being dragged downstream to certain death. 

Suddenly, lead cheetah OlpadanOlpadan means "sharp shooter" in Maa, the language spoken by the Maasai people in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania.  jumped into the water. The others dutifully followed. At that moment, photographer Buddhilini de Soyza clicked the shutter on her camera. 

The cheetahs stare directly at the lens. Their speckled faces are contorted into twisted grimaces as they struggle against the churning currents. De Soyza named her picture The Great SwimThe image was highly commended in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. .

This time, Olpadan was lucky. All five members of the iconic all-maleIt is rare for male cheetahs to form large social groups. The group is made up of two sets of siblings.  Tano BoraTano Bora means magnificent five. The group is now known as Nne Bora, or magnificent four.  cheetah pack made it to the other side of the river. 

But now Olpadan's luck has finally run out. In January, his body was found abandoned on the great plains of Kenya's Maasai Mara. His former friends were seen running from the carcass with blood on their paws. Today, the "magnificent five" is the "magnificent four". 

There is no doubt: the pack is worthy of its name. Cheetahs are extraordinary and intelligent creatures. Now, one life coach says humans should take lessons from the big cat. 

Here are Jenn Bauer's four key tips on how to live like a cheetah: 

1. Rest before you sprint. Cheetahs are the world's fastest land animal, reaching speeds of 70mph. But cheetahs are sprintersCheetahs can accelerate from 0mph to 68mph in just three seconds. , not marathon runners. They run only for a minute at a time before recharging in the shady grass. Humans, likewise, are only productive for short periods of time. Like cheetahs, we must take regular breaks to achieve our goals. 

2. Be willing to change direction. Cheetahs are the only big cat that can turn mid-stride. They adjust to the movements of their prey. If we do not adapt to new information, we risk missing our targets completely.

3. Repurpose rather than discard. Cheetahs are resourceful. As the smallest big African cat, they spend hours looking for both prey and predators. To do this, they use abandoned termite mounds as observation posts. New perspectives can avoid unnecessary waste.

4. Outwit the competition. If cheetahs hunted at night, they would lose their meals to lions and leopards. Instead, they hunt during the day. We should find our niche, and try out the ideas no one else is exploring. 

Of course, not everyone agrees with Bauer's lessons. For centuries, great thinkers have maintained that humans are fundamentally different from animals. 

The philosopher Ludwig WittgensteinAn Austrian-British philosopher and mathematician most famous for his work on language. Some consider him the greatest philosopher of the 20th Century. once declared: "If a lion could speak, we could not understand him." Many would say the same about cheetahs. 

Cheetahs spend their time chasing down antelopes. Meanwhile, humans use complex language, build huge cities, work in offices and buy food from supermarkets. 

For Bauer, these differences simply do not matter. She believes that if we open our minds to a new perspective, perhaps we could find a new way of living. 

Yes: Cheetahs are incredible creatures. They use their nimble brains and agile bodies to survive in the harsh savannah. Everybody can learn from the resourcefulness and resilience of the cheetah.

No: This is a ridiculous idea. Big cats are majestic and magnificent animals, but the apex predators have nothing in common with humans. Humans learn best from other humans.

Or... As the population grows, the lives of humans and animals are becoming increasingly intertwined. It is vital that even if we cannot learn from our wild neighbours, we take steps to understand them.