From the bushes, a leopard unexpectedly lunged at a cheetah cub, leaving the mother cheetah with no chance to rescue it.
A team of staff from Safari Nest travel company filmed a rare encounter between a leopard and a cheetah at Kruger National Park, South Africa, on January 21. “It was very hot, and we decided to record a video of a cheetah by the river with two cubs playing. Suddenly, from the bushes, a leopard appeared and attacked, injuring one of the cheetah cubs,” they recounted.
The mother cheetah tried to fight back and save her cub, but she was no match for the leopard. She was driven away by her adversary and had to retreat into the bushes, remaining there to watch her cub closely.
Later, the leopard abandoned the injured cheetah cub under the scorching heat and lay down to rest in the bushes just behind the wounded animal. The cheetah cub was exhausted. It tried to stand up and escape but was unsuccessful. Eventually, the leopard returned, killed the cheetah cub, and dragged it into the bushes.
The mother cheetah tried to fight back and save her cub, but she was no match for the leopard.
“The mother cheetah and the remaining cub did not go far. They spent the entire afternoon trying to find the missing cub. The next morning, they were still spotted by the river, near where the cheetah cub was killed. Three days later, the mother and cub still seemed to be grieving over this loss,” the Safari Nest team observed.
“When the leopard took down the cheetah cub, we were very surprised and shocked. No one could believe what they had just witnessed. This is a wildlife scene that you usually only see on TV,” they added.
Leopards (Panthera pardus) are large cats found in sub-Saharan Africa, Northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. They are generally solitary creatures, except during mating and rearing young. They are formidable hunters, preying on animals such as antelope, deer, wild boar, rabbits, fish, birds, and various other creatures.
Meanwhile, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are the fastest land mammals, commonly found in Africa and Iran. They can accelerate from 0 km/h to 95 km/h in just three seconds. They achieve this with their long, slender limbs, tough foot pads, and flexible spine.
In addition to their golden-brown fur with black spots, they are characterized by two dark tear-like stripes that extend from the corners of their eyes to the sides of their mouths. Their bushy tails have black rings at the end.
Cheetahs target prey such as antelope, rabbits, wild goats, and other species. A mother cheetah typically gives birth to 2 to 4 cubs at a time. The cubs live with their mother and learn survival skills for about 16 months.
