On the 1st of April 2025, Dr Ei Eye AP Fowls, a 35-year-old wildlife enthusiast, captured a once-in-a-lifetime encounter during an early morning drive from Crocodile Bridge onto the H5 in the Kruger National Park. He told Latest Sightings, practically breathless with excitement, “I’ve seen elephants countless times, but never ever one perched high in a tree with a leopard right there! I still can’t wrap my head around it. It’s a never-before-seen sighting!”
Stay tuned to the biggest fact about this sighting right at the end!
He and his companions had set out at dawn, right at the beginning of April, spotting a variety of plains game and even a crocodile lurking near the roadside. Nothing hinted at the utterly bizarre spectacle that awaited them just a short distance further.
As they navigated a bend, they noticed a leopard in the middle of the road. Within seconds, the cat bounded off toward a large, ragged tree. Intrigued, Dr Fowls followed at a cautious distance, trying to see where it would lead and why the leopard seemed so intent on that particular spot.
Upon drawing closer, their jaws dropped: a young elephant calf was suspended among the lower branches, already hoisted there. “It was completely surreal,” Dr Fowls recalled. “At first, I couldn’t figure out how on earth an elephant got so high off the ground. It almost didn’t look real.”
The group decided to halt and observe, despite the shock of what they were witnessing. The calf, seemingly groggy or confused, let out a few uncertain trumpets. One thing was clear: this was no ordinary moment in the bush.
Scrapes in the bark and deep gouges on the trunk of the tree hinted at a violent scuffle. Dr Fowls believes the leopard had overpowered the vulnerable calf earlier, using remarkable strength (and maybe luck) to maneuver it up into the branches.
Elephants rarely end up anywhere but on solid ground, given their considerable size. Even though this calf was much lighter than an adult, the broad lower limbs were visibly sagging beneath its weight, creaking with every shift.
A sense of mounting tension filled the air. The leopard had clearly stashed the calf in its arboreal larder, a strategy sometimes seen with smaller prey but almost unheard of with an elephant. “It’s beyond rare,” Dr Fowls said. “I’ve never read or heard of a leopard dragging an elephant into a tree like that.”
Elephants are among the largest land mammals, making them an improbable meal for most predators. However, a solitary calf, especially one separated from its mother, can become a target if the circumstances allow.
At first, there was no sign of the mother elephant, and the calf looked both terrified and physically strained from hanging on. Typically, an elephant herd would encircle its young at any hint of danger, but here the calf was alone, high off the ground.
With the mother nowhere in sight, the leopard seemed poised to solidify its extraordinary kill. It stood watchful beneath the tree, muscles tensed, occasionally glancing upward with the confidence of a cat that knew it could climb up at any moment.
Then, as if sensing a shift, the leopard froze. A thunderous crash of brush and a trumpet loud enough to shake leaves off the tree announced the arrival of the calf’s mother. She stormed in with a fury that only a protective elephant can muster.
Confronted by this fully grown adult, the leopard hesitated. Even the most audacious hunter will think twice before challenging a charging elephant, and this cat was no exception. In a blink, it sprang clear of the trunk and vanished into the scrub with masterful stealth.
Ignoring the retreating predator, the mother quickly focused on her stranded calf, letting out powerful, rumbling rumbles. Dr Fowls and his group watched in awe, stunned by how she managed to keep her balance against the tree while using her trunk to reach the young elephant.
Through a series of determined nudges and shoves, the mother guided her baby back toward the sturdier branches, then finally onto the ground by assisting her baby’s descent using her strong trunk. It was a heart-pounding moment, no one in the group dared breathe until the calf’s feet hit the dirt.
As soon as the calf regained its footing, the two elephants wasted no time disappearing into the surrounding vegetation. Dr Fowls was left marveling at the incredible chain of events. “I’m still in shock! This was the most astounding and exhilarating thing I’ve ever witnessed. Honestly, that leopard should’ve stuck to impala!”
You know, there is no coincidence that this happened on the 1st of April!
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