Most people have had the misfortune of having annoying neighbors that seem to go out of their way to be irritating, but that’s nothing compared to what this poor leopard had to deal with when a group of baboons came across its tail dangling down out of a tree.
Yusuf Mayet caught the baboons being antagonistic on camera and sent the footage in to Latest Sightings. The monkeys were playing with fire, as leopards have some quick reaction times, but they clearly thought they had safety in numbers if it came to a fight.
This sighting took place near the S100 road through the Kruger National Park, and it could only end two ways, with a fight, or with the leopard being annoyed enough to leave the area.
A Troublesome Troop Of Baboons
Whether the leopard had been relaxing in the tree before the baboons found it, or if they’d chased it up into the branches was unclear, but the leopard had the high ground advantage when it came to a potential fight.
Unfortunately for the leopard, its opponents were more than capable of climbing high enough to meet it in the branches if they wished. The big cat’s usual tactics to stay safe made very little difference in this match up.
One particularly large baboon was pushing its luck early on in the footage, jumping up to try and reach the leopard’s tail from the trunk below, while simultaneously staying out of reach of the big cat’s sharp claws.
Monkey Mayhem
None of the other members of the troop seemed to be willing to get quite as close as the big baboon, and they’d bunched up just below it in the tree which gave them the impression of egging it on to antagonize the leopard.
In large numbers, baboons can be ferocious enough to pose a threat to big cats, especially solitary ones like this leopard which would only be able to defend one direction at a time if it came down to a fight.
The leopard was aware that it was at a disadvantage, despite being higher up in the tree. Safety was not guaranteed and a fight that came with the risk of a serious injury wasn’t worth the hassle, it was time to move on.
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Time To Retreat
Bothered beyond its tolerance, and potentially slightly wary of the situation escalating beyond a mere annoyance, the big cat climbed to its feet to move on. There was no shortage of trees, but once they had the branches to themselves the baboons might leave it in peace.
As soon as they realized that the leopard was retreating, the emboldened baboons hurried higher up the tree, making sure to harass it at every step of the way. The leopard turning its back was a risky move, but other than continually trying to yank its tail the baboons let it leave in peace.
With the lower branches of the tree conquered, the baboons were braver in their movements, but even then they were unable to force the leopard to vacate the tree completely. This resulted in an uneasy stalemate that went on for an unknown period of time.