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How the Sighting Began
Wildlife photographer, Stefan Cruysberghs, was on an early-morning safari in South Luangwa when they came across these crocodiles in a feeding frenzy.
There were so many crocs that it was hard to see what they were eating. But, after some time, they managed to identify the prey as being a puku antelope.
Seeing that this was playing out on land, it was assumed that another predator had caught and abandoned the puku.
More and More Crocodiles Appeared
The more time they spent at the sighting, the more crocodiles appeared from the river. Watching just how many crocs were attracted to the smell was fascinating. It was almost an endless supply!
A Nile crocodile can eat over 50% of its body weight in a single meal. On average, your typical puku weighs a lot less than that.
This meant that there really wasn’t enough food to go around here. It also meant that all the crocodiles were likely very grumpy because of it!
More Predators Were Around
So much was going and when a leopard suddenly came strolling in from the bushes, it was almost too much to process. Who would have thought about another predator being around?
It was a huge surprise for everyone at first, but then it was assumed that the leopard had originally caught the puku and was forced to abandon it. Now, it returned only to find that it had been claimed by a bask of crocodiles.
That would normally be the end of the story. After all, when crocodiles steal your meal, there really isn’t anything that can be done about that. However, this leopard wouldn’t have it! If it was going to lose its food, it wasn’t losing everything.
Brave or Foolish?
The leopard zigged and zagged its way through the pile of crocodile bodies. It even had to dodge a couple of snaps, but that wasn’t enough to deter it.

It did end up finding the space it was looking for. But, it was now basically mouth-to-mouth with one of the bigger crocodiles! Just desperately tugging and pulling away, trying and nab a piece.

Not being able to get a decent share, the leopard became super frustrated! So, when another crocodile decided to try and get involved, the leopard slapped it on the nose!
Risky Move, Low Reward
The leopard only managed to get two small chunks of the puku, before having to walk away. It certainly wasn’t worth all the risk it took in the end, but it was so incredible to see!
It became evident that the leopard had an injured a possibly a blinded eye. If it was recent this might have had something to do with it’s behavior, and it also definitely made it even riskier for the leopard!
