Felids Interactions - Interspecific Conflicts

[Luipaard]

This is additional information regarding the death of a young male leopard called Wabayiza. I'm pretty sure everyone has seen these tragic images:

*This image is copyright of its original author

Chitwa guests, the Stahl family from Germany, got to see two leopards that morning, and surprisingly Wabayiza and Xivambalane were cheekily close to the Styx pride of lions……the lions simply ignored them.

And so, Surprise decided it was time for a break, and looked around for a good spot for a stretch of legs, coffee & muffins. They had just taken a few bites, when they heard distinct intermittent growling and running sounds. 

At first Surprise thought it must be the male lion from the Matimba pride picking a fight - he had been stalking the Styx cubs of late, and he was probably on the prowl – they had spotted him earlier that morning.

The roaring and growling did not subside, and so Surprise decided it was time to take a closer look -in a jiffy Tracker Ralph packed up, and the family jumped into the car. 
As they approached, they realized instantly that it was not the Matimba lion after all. 

The Styx pride was in the process of chasing the two leopards in different directions – Xivambalane had found a tree, and was safely ensconced up in the branches. But the young male leopard Wabayiza’s luck had just run out, there were no trees around… and the six lions closed in. The lions had already done some damage, he was unable to move and lay helplessly looking up at the lions. After a few minutes, the Styx put their heads down and decided to move on. 
This was not about feeding, this was about protecting their cubs. 
Spunky as always, Wabayiza saw a gap, and in a last supreme effort pulled his broken body up and made a dash for the closest trees. 
The mother of the cubs whipped around, raced at him and pounced, just as he tried to leap. When she was sure that Wabayiza would not more again, she slowly turned around and walked back to her cubs. 

The Stahl family had gotten much more than they had bargained for …..an incredible story to tell about their Safari at Chitwa Chitwa….nevertheless mixed emotions at a most unusual sighting……

*This image is copyright of its original author

From Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge: "From the first scuffle Wabayiza's spinal cord was already badly damaged, and he literally could not move. His last attempt to get away was rather desperate, and when the female lion took him down, that was the end. The hyena's finished the job....." Reply