The leopard had to hide in the treetops to avoid becoming a victim after being chased away by a male elephant.
The male elephant sprays dust towards the leopard to scare it. (Photo: Kevin Dooley)
Photographer Kevin Dooley captured the moment a leopard had to take refuge high in a tree to escape the pursuit of an enraged male elephant at the Madikwe Game Reserve. In the series of photos, the massive elephant raises its trunk, trying to reach the branch where the leopard clings tightly.
“The male elephant detected the scent of the leopard from over 1.6 kilometers away. It approached the tree and tried to drive the leopard down, but the leopard held its ground. I watched the scene for about 1 to 1.5 hours. Spotting a leopard in the wild can be quite challenging. However, witnessing the interaction between the elephant and the leopard was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Kevin shared.
The elephant tries every way to drive the leopard from its high hiding spot, including wrapping its trunk around the base of the tree. (Photo: Kevin Dooley)
In the wild, elephants often target large predators like lions or leopards, displaying aggression to protect the younger members of their herd. While they don’t frequently chase enemies into trees, elephants can emit loud trumpets to scare off predators. When herds of elephants roam the tall grasslands, they can communicate with one another through low-frequency sounds, including warnings to herd members about potential threats.
Solitary predators like leopards and lions have very little chance of survival even against the smallest adult elephants due to the high protective instinct of the herd. Other elephants typically chase or use aggressive body language to deter any potential attackers.
