As its calf lay injured, a female wildebeest did her best to protect it. Find out below whether she succeeded against ever-increasing odds.
Nadav Ossendryver & Josh Hertz submitted this challenging footage to Latest Sightings. They recorded it while visiting South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
Lying limp
Nadav’s video opens to a grim scene. A wildebeest calf lies injured on the ground. Evidently, a leopard had earlier caught it but is no longer visible.
Nadav notices that the calf is still moving and decides to film what happens next. Will the mother come save it, or will the leopard return to feast?
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Little she can do
Subsequently, the mother does return, but there is little she can do for her stricken calf.
It would seem that the calf was crippleld during the initial attack.
Leopard returns
A short while later, Nadav and friends are excited to see the leopard, a large male, return.
As it approaches the calf, it is obvious that it intends to finish what it had started.
Not so fast
However, the brave mother is not ready to give up on her offspring just yet.
Accordingly, she charges at the leopard, who instantly backs off.
The last thing the leopard wants to do is get gored by the protective wildebeest, so he sprints clear of her slashing horns.
Stalemate
Consequently, a stalemate ensues. However, it is still unclear who will prevail: the protective cow or the hungry predator?
Ultimately, it is the leopard who decides to yield. For now. It is simply too risky for him to push his luck.
Defeated, for now, he saunters off.
Drama not over
But the drama is not over yet. In a touching moment, the rest of the wildebeest herd arrive to “pay their respects” to the fallen calf.
Although the calf is still showing signs of life, there is nothing they can do to help it.
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Worrying warthogs
Next to arrive is a family of warthogs. However, their arrival is altogether more sinister. Warthogs are omnivorous and will eat carrion when the opportunity arises.
Accordingly, the wildebeest does her best to drive them off too.
However, when she turns her back, one of the warthogs starts feeding on the calf. The moment she sees it, the mother drives it off once again, but more damage has been done.
From this point on, there are no further signs of life in the calf.
Tough choice
With hunger getting the better of him, the leopard returns. And once again, the mother stands ready to drive him off.
At first, she is successful. However, she seems to sense the futility of her efforts.
Her calf is dead, the leopard is back, and hyenas are starting to move in. Accordingly, her own life may be in danger if she doesn’t rejoin her herd soon.
Consequently, the leopard is finally able to claim his prize. It is a sighting that will stay with Nadav, a sighting that brutally captures the circle of life on the African plains.