As a few unsuspecting buck pass by this incredibly well-camouflaged predator, one of them was about to meet their fateful end…
Bryan Mattice, 35-year-old high school social studies teacher in the United States, explained the scene leading up to the takedown, to Latestsightings.com: “In search of our first leopard, our guide, Simon Vegter from Wild Wings Safaris, stopped at the De Laporte waterhole, where some other vehicles were also parked.
He had sighted a female leopard there on other occasions. At the time, several impala were drinking there too. Sure enough, the female leopard was right there in the vicinity as well. We were able to position our vehicle 15-20 meters from her hiding spot. Crouching down in a bush, she was completely invisible to the buck.
We had stumbled upon some impeccable sort of timing and landed ourselves a front row seat for the hunt.
As the anticipation built, we weren’t sure if we’d see a successful hunt or not. Once we realized what was about to happen, the adrenaline motivated everyone in our vehicle to stay silent, but have our cameras ready. When the kill took place, it was incredible to watch. Beyond description.
At that moment there were no words to describe it. Just amazement at the raw power of nature. According to our guide, the successful, live hunt was a very rare sighting. Something one only sees once or twice every few years.
Camera or no camera, I learned that while on safari and observing wildlife, there is nothing more important than soaking in the experience. It’s hard to describe the emotions and feelings one has when viewing wildlife in their natural habitat.
WATCH
In our case, we were fortunate enough to have our cameras ready for something rare, powerful, exceptional, and emotional. But it’s okay to keep the camera off.
I can’t say enough with regard to Simon’s expertise in knowing the location, spotting the leopard, and positioning our vehicle for an up-close-and-personal view. We had incredible timing and were exceptionally lucky to see this”. If you want to book a safari with Simon from Wild Wings Safaris email [email protected]
