Largely known for their scavenging activities, hyenas are capable hunters in their own right. Almost all predators are opportunistic scavengers that would take the chance for a free meal if it arose.
Luke Abbot caught this hyena on camera at the Sabi Sands Nature Reserve and sent the footage to Latest Sightings, although it’s not immediately clear who’s trying to steal from who.
The Hyena Victorious
It appeared that the hyena had undertaken a successful hunting operation shortly before Luke began filming, as it was crouching over the carcass of some unfortunate prey in amongst the trees.
Hyenas have built up a reputation for themselves as simple scavengers, but they are more than capable of hunting and bringing down prey for themselves when the need arises.
There were a lot of trees around, however, and this would be the perfect location for a leopard to stash its meals when it left the area, to keep them safe for when it returned.
This raises the question of whether the hyena had been successful at hunting, or whether it had spied the leopard’s spoils, and managed to get the carcass down from a tree. Either way, the hyena had secured itself a meal
An Attempt At Thievery
If it was the former case, then the big cat had flipped the script on its head as it rushed in and attempted to steal the carcass from the hyena. This role reversal might be strange, but it could also have been the leopard trying to steal back what it thought belonged to it.
These big cats typically rely on stealth to hunt their prey and avoid unwanted interactions with rival predators, but if this leopard had seen the hyena tucking into its meals for the next few days then it might have needed to take action.
It managed to swipe the carcass away from the hyena and attempted to escape with it into the trees. If it had pulled it off then it would have been safe, but the hyena was prepared to fight for its meal and the leopard couldn’t get up into the branches quickly enough.
Missed Opportunities
This hyena was not much smaller than the leopard, but it had other advantages on its side as well. Leopard’s live solitary lifestyles that mean the slightest wound that impacts their ability to hunt could be fatal.
If the leopard can’t feed itself then death would be certain regardless of the severity of the actual wound itself. Meanwhile, hyenas have a stronger social structure in their clans, which meant this hyena might have been more prepared to fight than the leopard.
Obviously neither animal wanted to suffer pain, and both would have preferred to posture and intimidate than fight, but food is a very valuable resource that was worth taking some risks for. Once the leopard failed to get up the tree, it had no choice but to flee.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
A Winner and a Loser
Having lost its element of surprise, and with the hyena now tucking into the carcass at the base of its tree, the leopard didn’t seem willing to take another go at stealing the food.
This made the hyena the clear winner as it got itself a meal, but it still wasn’t clear if the leopard had failed to protect its dinner, or steal it. Either way it made for an exciting sighting.