A leopard sets up a perfect ambush on a baboon, but the tables turn when the baboons fight back.
Solomon Ndlovu, an experienced safari ranger, filmed this incredible wildlife interaction at Singita Lebombo Lodge and shared it with Latest Sightings.
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“My guests and I were out on a game drive, and we managed to locate a leopard. It was very calm around us, which on its own, is a fantastic sighting.”
“We wanted to make the most of what we found, any time you get to spend with a big cat is just special. So, we turned the vehicle off, and enjoyed being in the leopard’s presence.”
“After spending some time we heard a noise in the distance. Something was making its way towards us. I quickly realized that it was baboons, and the leopard did too, almost immediately transitioning into stealth, and setting up an ambush!”
“I repositioned the vehicle to make room for what we knew was about to happen. All we could do now was wait.”
Leopards love catching baboons and are typically a lot larger in size, which makes the initial hunt easy. However, a baboon troop can have well over 50 family members, and without the element of surprise, it can be a super risky meal.
When this leopard heard the baboons approaching, it hid behind a dam wall, patiently waiting for the perfect striking opportunity. The family of baboons, completely unaware of the danger, came running in.
One by one the baboons crossed the road just in front of the ambush. Tempting as it might have been just to rush in, the leopard was calculated. Without making a sound it let the first few baboons cross and that’s when it found its target!
The leopard came rushing over the dam wall like a rocket. The baboon reacted almost
instantly, but it wasn’t enough. The leopard pounced, tackling the baboon with power.
The struggle was short; within just a few moments, the baboon was gone. All the
leopard needed to do now was to get away with its prize.
That’s a lot easier said than done, and these baboons weren’t going to let the leopard stroll away. The leader of the troop ran after the leopard, and the other baboons followed. Perhaps, out of ignorance; a desperate attempt to save their unsavable friend, or maybe it was just a split-second decision to get revenge.
Either way, the baboons charged at the leopard and encircled it when they caught up. Chaos erupted, forcing the leopard to drop its kill and defend itself. The screams and shouts sent the leopard into a panic. It knew there was no way it was getting out of the situation with its meal, and seeing a gap in the baboons’ defense, it fled.
Unfortunately for the baboons, their efforts were in vain. They couldn’t help their fallen friend, and the leopard would know exactly where to return and claim its meal, once the baboons had left.