Regardless of how large and powerful a predator might be, food is never guaranteed in the wild, where rivals might be waiting to steal a hard-won kill at the slightest opportunity.
Brittany Joubert caught footage of a hungry hyena doing its best to steal a meal from a female leopard, and sent the footage to Latest Sightings along with the story.
The sighting took place in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, and it shows the ferocity of lone leopards, but also the dogged perseverance of thieves like hyenas, which refuse to give up as long as they think they have a chance.
Eating With An Audience
Hunting can often be a risky business for leopards. Unlike other predators like lions, wild dogs, or hyenas themselves, leopard’s live solitary lifestyles which means any slight mistake might mean they go hungry.
It also means that they don’t have the benefit of relying on allies for protection while eating. It’s for this reason that leopard’s developed the tactic of hiding their kills high up in trees where rivals can’t get to them as easily.
Sometimes, though, the thieves come sniffing around before the leopard has had the chance to move their kill to a safe place, and in these scenarios the big cats don’t have much choice other than to try and protect their kills.
This one had a hungry hyena poking around, potentially attracted by the sound of the hunt, or unlucky coincidence, but now it wasn’t going to give up until it had a taste of the leopard’s meal.
Experienced Thieves
While hyenas have clans they can typically rely on for help when they need it, this one seemed to be roaming alone. In a straight up fight, the leopard was larger, stronger, and more dangerous, meaning this hyena would have to steal the meal another way.
Even when they have the advantage of numbers, hyenas prefer to intimidate or harass rival predators into leaving their meals undefended, which is when they swoop in to seize the carcass and make off with their prize.
Too Close For Comfort
This hyena probed incessantly around the leopard, looking for any gap in the big cat’s guard that would allow it to get closer. At one point it appeared to get too close, causing the leopard to attack.
With a ferocious snarl the leopard charged at the hyena, causing the thief to retreat rapidly, but this meant the leopard had left the carcass undefended.
Even if it was only for a minute, it was an opening the hyena tried to use, darting around the leopard and making a break for the carcass. The leopard was wise to this tactic, however, and fell back quickly to guard the meal.
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Ultimately Unsuccessful
It’s unknown exactly how long this fight lasted, but Brittany told Latest Sightings that the hyena was eventually able to wear the leopard down, and make off with its meal. The big cat was going hungry.
It was only after the fight ended and the leopard reclined on a fallen tree that Brittany noticed an injury the leopard was carrying near a hind leg. Something like this would have seriously impeded the leopard’s ability to fight back or pursue the hyena.
Despite the apparent injustice of thievery, this is just the way things go in the wild, where constant competition means that sometimes some animals are just going to have to lose.