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Leopard Predation Thread
Leopard Predation Thread
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Leopard Predation Thread
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Female leopard in a death-grip with her impala kill, credits to Garry Mills Wildlife Photography
 *This image is copyright of its original author
Photo and information credits: Sandeep Dutta
"Leopard on a Warthog kill, Masai Mara"  *This image is copyright of its original author
Salayexe, the female leopard, chasing after a steenbok - Dawie Jacobs
 *This image is copyright of its original author
Tingana male, credits to Brent Leo-Smith.
 *This image is copyright of its original author
Sanjay Jaiswal
Leopard hunting Wildebeest .. Massai mara ,16th aug 15  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Africa Geographic, A mid-air leopard attack: Written by: Mario Paul
A while ago I witnessed this incredible scene on the Orpen Dam loop of a leopard attacking an unsuspecting impala mid-air in what can only be described as a sighting of epic proportions. That morning, I picked-up two French guests from their hotel for a three day safari in the Kruger National Park with Vula Tours. We were at Tshokwane picnic spot for breakfast when my gut feeling told me to go drive the Orpen Dam loop. We had the most amazing drive before breakfast which included seeing four of the Big Five. We just needed a leopard sighting to get a full house. But as any seasoned safari-goer knows, this is easier said than done, especially in that area. So I decided to follow my gut and proceeded to the loop. As luck would have it, as we drove down into the cement causeway something caught my eye. There it was – a big male leopard staring right at me not even five metres away.  *This image is copyright of its original author He was quite nervous but soon relaxed and proceeded to have a drink of water at the only available source, a hole that had been dug by elephants.  *This image is copyright of its original author We watched him for about four minutes when a second vehicle arrived and he got scared and quickly moved away. He then stopped about 25 metres from us, looked back and then slipped in under the reeds. I knew then that this leopard did not go into those reeds to hide from us, but because it was the perfect position for an ambush. Any unsuspecting victims that would come down to drink would have to pass by very close to him and they would never be able to spot him.  *This image is copyright of its original author Furthermore, the wind was blowing quite hard and in the perfect direction that made him quite literally invisible. The prey couldn’t see him because of his perfectly camouflaged coat and hiding place, they couldn’t hear him because of the wind blowing and they couldn’t smell him because his smell was blown away by the wind. Taking all these facts into account I was pretty confident that this leopard would be able to complete a successful hunt. Because we had such a good morning, it was not very difficult to convince my two guests to stick around and see if something would happen. 45 minutes went by with absolutely nothing happening. Another safari vehicle arrived and I told the guide where this leopard was hiding. As we were speaking, a herd of male impala appeared from over the hill. We patiently waited for this herd to move in but they were only interested in chasing each other around. It is the rutting season of the impala and the only thing the males have on their mind now are the ladies and to mate with as many as possible. While watching them chase each other around about 40 metres from where the leopard was hiding, something caught my eye. There was another herd of impala coming down to drink water from behind us. They were walking straight in to the water and that’s when the adrenaline started pumping. As they got closer they started to slow down and look around. Prey animals are always very cautious when approaching watering holes because of the fact that predators will lie in ambush to attack them.  *This image is copyright of its original author The males approached first and walked past the leopard. At this point I thought he would make a move but he did not. He was waiting for that one moment where everything would be perfect. That moment then presented itself. A male impala chased one of the females in the bid to try and mate with her. Unfortunately this love story didn’t turn out so well. He chased her straight to where the leopard was lying in ambush. As she ran past the rock next to the bush she spotted the leopard and tried to jump up as high as possible in a bid to get away from the him.  *This image is copyright of its original author Unfortunately for her, her efforts weren’t enough, as the leopard came out of the reeds like a bullet from the barrel of a gun and caught her mid-air before crashing down to earth with her in his claws. The force with which he hit her and the subsequent crashing down caused his claws to slice open a big gash on the shoulders of the impala. He went for the windpipe and quickly dragged her off to a nearby bush where he then started to feed on her.  *This image is copyright of its original author We couldn’t believe what we just witnessed. We and the other vehicle were the only ones to witness it, but us three were the only ones to see the complete hunt from finish to start. An experience that will be remembered forever! 
Reminiscent of a video I remember seeing on National Geographic of an impala jumping over a leopard only to have the leopard jump up catch it and they did a backflip in mid-air and landed in a heap, leopard already going for the kill bite. Amazing, amazing hunters.
Photo and information credits: Sandeep Dutta
"Leopard on a deer stag kill..." India  *This image is copyright of its original author
Photo and information credits: Marlon du Toit Photography
"Queen of the dark nights - a leopardess moves her impala kill from a dense thicket to a nearby Sausage Tree. Exposed to predators, most notably Hyena, she has to move quickly and silently. She has the ability to hoist a carcass near double her own weight. Captured on a Wild Eye Safari I hosted to South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, with Robin Pope Safaris."  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Sundestinations, Leopard Leaps to Kill Impala:
For most people, it’s a once in a lifetime experience (if that) to witness a leopard land its prey in a successful hunt. These solitary, independent, territorial cats are elusive and careful, and primarily hunt at night, so the chances of catching them making a kill are low. At Umkumbe Safari Lodge, however, one’s chances are somewhat higher, considering the location in the famous Sabi Sand Wildtuin where leopard sightings are on another level. Umkumbe guides, Mauritz and Johan, were out on game drive recently when they saw ‘the best sight of my life’, according to an ecstatic Mauritz. Tatowa, a young leopardess, planned and executed the perfect kill right in front of their eyes, and luckily for us, Mauritz captured it all excellently on camera…  *This image is copyright of its original author It was after dark and towards the end of the game drive when Mauritz stopped to watch two impalas chasing each other, and suddenly he saw Tatowa was on the scene too. Secretively, she positioned herself on an animal footpath in the darkness, and waited for her chance. It was as if she had anticipated the impala’s next move, and sure enough, the female impala got tired of being chased around and headed along the footpath to escape. It wasn’t until she found herself only a foot from the crouching leopard that she noticed her presence, and in typical fashion she leapt into the air to avoid her. Unfortunately for the impala, leopards leap just as well, and Tatowa had planned this so perfectly that she couldn’t miss. As the impala was air-born directly above the leopard, Tatowa made her move and clamped her jaws down on the impala’s throat, flung through the air in a complete back-flip and landed faultlessly on top of her prey. The impala fought back and jumped up immediately; however Tatowa had her grip secured, and the two stood in absolute silence until the impala finally collapsed.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Once Tatowa ensured that her prey was dead, she proceeded to take it up into a tree, which is text book leopard behaviour, and it is truly incredible to witness. The strength required to pull a fully grown impala up into a tree is astounding, and Tatowa did it with ease. Leopards feast in trees and store their carcasses in trees to keep their food safe from scavengers, such as hyenas. It was the perfect ending to an act of nature Umkumbe guests could not have expected to see unfold. As Mauritz said, “No alarm calls and no sound besides their bodies hitting the ground. The perfect kill”.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Photo and information credits: Praveen Siddannavar Photography
Leopard – The Ambush hunter! It was just about 8am, when we spotted this young male leopard resting on the bund, after a while he decided to move, however he stood tall on the bund and saw a group of spotted deers (Chital) at distance, until now the chital were completely unaware of his presence. The leopard walked casually in the open and later disappeared into the thick lantana bushes. In the meantime we saw a large group of deers walking in the same direction where the leopard entered the bushes, believe me there were easily over a 100 deers. I anticipated some action if the deers would get closer to the bushes. However for few minutes nothing happened, I pulled out my iphone to make a video and few still images of these herbivores grazing the lush green grass. However due to an oncoming vehicle we had to move our safari van a little further. But I kept my eye towards the bushes and the deers. And boy the leopard popped out in a flash, putting his special technique on job, Precision, Speed and Power, he attacked one of the deers, didn’t even give a chance to react. Typically the leopard’s strength and strategy is to strangle her to death by choking her windpipe. And this is what exactly we witnessed, holding the prey by throat. The alarm calls given by large group of deers are still echoing in my ears. This is yet another great natural history moments that we all were fortunate to witness. Sharing one of the many images I made during the hunting sequence… June 2016, Kabini, Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, India  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Kambaku Safari Lodge:
Big male leopards dragging a waterbuck bull. Ntsongwaan Video credit: JJ Oosthuizen
From Cheetah Plains Private Game Reserve:
Warning: This video is not for sensitive viewers! We had an incredible morning safari, as we quickly located male leopard, Quarantine hunting warthogs. He was successful, and we managed to witness the majority of it! Although nature can be brutal, it is always rewarding to see the trials and tribulations of the animals. Just down the road, we located male leopard Mvula, just relaxing. Brilliant sighting captured by Andrew Khosa! |
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