The branch covered part of the cheetah's body. I Photoshopped the pic to make it look like the branch is behind the cat.
Otherwise the branch would overwhelm the picture.
I love this image but do not like the branch in this picture at all. It is distracting from the animal. Check out Shambala Preserves on Internet to see some great other photos of cats. Beautiful colors. I would have just photoshopped the branch into more green grass.