There are many kinds of animals in the world which will actively steal kills from other predators to save themselves the trouble of hunting for it. This behavior, called kleptoparasitism, is strongly linked to hyenas.
Piet van Wyk caught this footage of a hyena putting in some real effort to steal a carcass from a leopard in the MalaMala Game Reserve, and sent it in to Latest Sightings. The hyena was trying to hard to steal this leopard’s kill that it didn’t seem much like it was saving energy on a hunt.
Leopards lack the sheer strength and ferocity of lions, likely emboldening this lone hyena, and preventing the leopard from challenging it directly in a one on one.
Opportunistic Thieves
Due to their solitary lifestyles, leopards developed the habit of hiding their kills in the high branches of trees to keep them safe from competitors. A single leopard cannot be everywhere at once, and other predators aren’t as good at climbing as they are.
This leopard made a significant mistake by letting part of the carcass dangle low enough from the tree that a hyena could sink its teeth into the meat, and keep hanging on.
Maybe this was a younger or more inexperienced leopard, or perhaps it just wasn’t paying attention on this day, but its inattentiveness meant that it was now at risk of losing its hard-won meal to an opportunistic thief.
An Awkward Position
While the leopard might not have been able to call on the same strength as a lion, it had strength enough to lift both the carcass and the hyena into the air, leaving the thief dangling off the ground.
At first glance, this strength might have seemed decisive, but it actually put the leopard in a more difficult position. The big cat had to keep hold of the carcass, and the hyena, without falling out of the tree itself.
Meanwhile, the hyena could bring its whole weight to bear on the leopard’s kill, dragging it lower out of the branches while the leopard tried to hang on.
Desperate Tug Of War
The result was a desperate tug of war between the two animals, with the leopard in the tree trying to keep a hold of the meat it had put effort into hunting for itself, and the hyena dangling below.
Neither predator seemed willing to give up. For the leopard this would mean energy wasted with no reward in a potentially lethal calculation if it kept happening, and for the hyena this was an easy meal it wanted to steal.
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A Victorious Thief
It was neither the hyena, nor the leopard that gave in first, but the carcass itself. After taking the full weight of the hyena, the leopard’s kill tore in two, and the hyena was able to make off with its half.
It must have been a disappointing outcome for the leopard, but at least it had some food left to help replenish its energy before it would need to hunt again. It had also learnt a valuable lesson about how best to stash its kills in the tree.
For the hyena, it was a lucky day as it had secured itself a meal without having to go through the effort of hunting for it. It scurried gleefully away with half of the leopard’s kill to enjoy it in private.