Johann Jurgens sent his video and account of his unusual encounter to Latest Sightings. He recorded it at Klipspringer Koppies, close to Pretoriuskop Camp in Kruger National Park.
Watch The Sighting Here:
Leopards!
Johann told Latest Sightings that he was taking some overseas visitors on an early morning game drive. He spotted a female leopard on the road ahead as they passed a busy intersection.
As they crept closer, he said, “We noticed a male leopard following her onto the road in close quarters.” While the female continued across the road, the male stopped and changed direction.
Beeline
Instead of following his mate, the male walked straight towards Johann’s vehicle from some distance away.
Johann soon lost sight of the spotted cat as it moved right up to the front of his vehicle.
Something Bumping
Johann continued, “About a minute later, I felt something bumping the car, and that’s when we realized that the leopard was actually biting the tyre!”
In the video, shot through a narrow gap in the window, the leopard shows interest in the left front wheel of Johann’s SUV.
Ripping Sound
As it goes about its business, a strange ripping sound echoes through the scene. The male pauses briefly to check on his mate’s location, otherwise remaining fixated on the task at hand.
Satisfied that she was still close by, the leopard resumed his oral inspection of Johann’s tyre.
The male repeatedly bit at the tyre while Johann tried to figure out what was going on. Eventually, one of his guests realised that the leopard was “eating the tyre”.
Time To Make Tracks
At this point, Johann decided it was time to bring the leopard’s curious behaviour to an end. Slipping into reverse gear, he slowly backed up away from the leopard.
As the vehicle rolled away, the leopard stayed put, apparently fine to let his ‘chew toy’ escape.
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Back To Business
After all, he had other duties to attend to. With that, the handsome cat turned and walked into the vegetation, where, according to Jurgens, the pair resumed their courtship.
Damage Assessment
As for Johann, he too had important matters to attend to. He said, ” We managed to drive away… into an open area away from the cats to assess the damage.
“By the time we stopped, the tyre was totally deflated. On closer inspection, we found 7 puncture marks.”
Johann went on to wonder why the leopard behaved the way it did. He reckons that he may have driven through the urine of another male at some point before the incident.
He thinks the male in the video could smell a competitor’s scent on his tyre. The fact that the leopard left his partner and went directly to Johann’s vehicle suggests there may be truth to his theory
This, coupled with the fact that the male was with a receptive female, may, in Jurgens’ opinion, explain the unusual behaviour.
There are numerous records of predators biting tyres, so the behaviour is not unprecedented. Leopards, lions, and hyenas have all been known to bite tyres.
Ultimately, whether it bit the tyre as an act of territoriality or curiosity, it illustrates, once again, the unpredictability of Nature.
Should you have a similar bizarre experience, Johann suggests gathering ample photographic evidence. You may just need it for insurance purposes.