Some animals are harder to see than others. Leopards are known for their stealthy habits and elusive nature which makes them difficult to spot, but also incredibly special and rewarding sightings.
Hyenas might be more common, but they’re still impressive predators, and Abbas Alibhai was lucky enough to spot these two animals having a very tense interaction in the Masai Mara Reserve.
Abbas sent their footage of the event, as well as the details surrounding it to Latest Sightings, saying that they were out on a drive when they “spotted the leopard mom in the low branches of a tree while her cub was playing on the ground below”.
Carefree Leopard Days
At the beginning of the footage, the leopard mother was actually on the ground with her cub which was rolling around in the grass. They’d likely just been playing together, when the mom hopped up into the low branches of the tree.
The leopard cub continued to roll around, keeping itself entertained, while its mom was being a lookout. They had a perfect spot to see any incoming threats or unwelcome visitors.
Incoming Threat
It didn’t take long for one of these incoming threats to appear. Perhaps the leopard cub’s mother had already noticed two hyenas on approach, and went into the tree to be better able to keep an eye on them.
The cub didn’t notice as the hyenas slowly came closer, and continued to roll around on the ground, but nothing was going to get through the careful gaze of this protective feline mother.
Nefarious Intention
Only one of the hyenas was approaching at first, and it gave the tree with an angry adult leopard in it a wide berth. The mother began to hiss and snarl as it came closer, warning it to stay away, and thankfully the cub realized something was wrong and leapt up into the tree.
There was definitely something insidious about the way that the hyena kept approaching the tree. It circled around, staying out of reach of the mother and carefully sniffed the ground where the cub had been rolling around.
The second hyena joined the first, and they completely ignored the hostile reception they were receiving as they continued to alternate between sniffing at the ground and staring at the leopard cub in the tree.
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Unwelcome Neighbors
This leopard was not as big or strong as a lion, and she had to stay with her cub to make sure it was safe. She kept hissing and snarling at the two hyenas, trying to get them to leave, but they didn’t seem concerned by her at all.
They kept making a big show of sniffing at the ground, but it was clear what they were really after. If they had the opportunity, they would be ready to seize the cub and risk the wrath of the mother for the meal it would provide.
This was a tense sighting which threatened to turn violent and tragic at any moment, but, thankfully, Abbas told Latest Sightings that eventually the “hyena gave up and wandered off into the distance”, leaving the leopard safely with her cub.