A hungry leopard struggles to claim his prize from being stuck in a tree, he ends up making a swinging fool of himself.
47-year-old Ute Sonnenberg, the owner of Roho Ya Chui Safaris, was visiting the Londolozi concession in the greater Kruger National Park with a friend when she captured the footage. She shared the story with LatestSightings.com.
“It had been raining that morning, yet we had already seen a male leopard right at the beginning of the game drive. We were all wrapped up in rain ponchos in an attempt to keep dry. As the day progressed, the rain stopped, and towards the end of the game drive, we bumped into Shorty. A male leopard in the concession.”
“He was lying in the grass at the bottom of a tree. Above him, a Nyala kill was hanging in the tree. We waited to see if he would get up the tree to feed. After a while, he went up the tree and started pulling on the kill, and we realized that the Nyala’s leg was hooked on a branch and he couldn’t move it.”
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Leopards will typically store their hard-earned meals in the safety of trees. Trees provide a safe haven away from scavengers, allowing leopards to feed in peace. When observing the habits of leopards, one may find their choice of trees very questionable. The ideal tree will often be very thorny, flimsy, and hard to navigate.
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“He continued tugging at the kill in an attempt to free it, but to no avail. He was literally hanging on by his jaws, swinging from the nyala’s head. It was only a matter of moments before he came tumbling down to the ground. We were all stunned, excited, and in awe. I’d seen leopards in trees before, but never falling like that. We were all hoping he’d be able to free his kill; it was difficult to watch him work so hard without being able to help him; we felt sorry for him when he started limping from his struggles and had to rest in the bushes.”
Leopard’s Gym Workout
“When it looked like he would rest for a while, we went back to the lodge and came back in the afternoon; he had managed to lift the free part of the kill to another branch and was feeding; we also came back the next morning, and the kill was finished and he was resting in the grass.”
This shows the sheer strength these resilient cats possess. having the power to hoist animals that weigh more than them into trees. So, remember to always have your camera ready and to be patient.
