After catching the biggest impala it could find, this young leopard quickly learned that it had only completed half the job. Hoisting it into a tree was going to be another mission entirely! On its third try, it ends up failing in the most perfect way possible!
Vincent Adami is a nature enthusiast who visits Kruger as often as possible. He has spent countless hours in the bush, so he knew just how special this sighting was while filming it.
Earlier that morning, conditions were quite cool in the park, perfect for finding high-action sightings, and Vincent knew this. Staying at Shingwedzi Camp, he continued his safari south, along the H1-6.
It didn’t take long to spot something special! It was a young leopard, and it was lying next to a very recent catch. At that point, it was tricky to see just how impressive that catch was, but the leopard was visibly still exhausted from the hunt.
The Art of the Hunt: Where Things Go Wrong
It was also clear that the leopard had fed a little, and it was only a matter of a few moments before it would want to secure its meal in the safety of a tree.
After a few more pants, that’s exactly what happened. The leopard got up and started dragging the impala toward the nearest tree. That’s when Vincent could see just how big of a deal this was.
Compared to the leopard, the impala was huge! Just thinking about how the leopard managed to take the impala down was incredible, and watching it attempt to lift it into the tree was somehow even more impressive.
From Vincent’s perspective, the impala looked almost double the leopard’s size, and still, the leopard was inching its way into a tree with it. At no point did it make it very high up, but the strength it must have taken just to get to that point was downright amazing!
Vincent realized just how persistent the young leopard was, too. So determined to secure its catch, the leopard would try again right after each fall. It must have taken everything, but still, it kept going…
Defending Their Territory: The Cost of Failure
On its third attempt, the leopard dug deep, and somehow managed to crawl up as high as it had ever been! But, just as there was hope of reaching the first set of branches, the momentum shifted and the leopard had to let go of the impala!
It was heartbreak all over again for the leopard. However, this time it went a little differently! The impala didn’t come crashing to the ground as expected. No, instead, it hooked onto a stump poking out from the bottom of the tree, in the most perfect way!
Yes, it technically was a failure, but it was almost like a wildlife trick shot. Then, on top of that, the leopard then landed right next to the hooked impala, in the exact position for the two lock eyes!
Although the leopard never managed to hoist the impala, this doesn’t end sadly for the young predator! By a small miracle, hyenas never came round, and the leopard had the impala all to itself, feeding comfortably on the ground for the next two days.
