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This amazing display of ambush predator tactics was caught on film by Bryan Mattice, a 35-year-old high school social studies teacher from the United States. Bryan recounted the events for Latest Sightings, saying there “were no words to describe it”.
Simon Vegter, the guide from Wild Wings Safari, led the group to the De Laporte waterhole, suspecting that a female leopard he’d seen earlier might still be in the area.
Not only were they able to find the leopard, but they also found her while in the middle of a hunt. Bryan said they were “able to position [their] vehicle 15-20 meters from her hiding spot”, giving them front row seats to the impending slaughter.
A Predator’s Perfect Moment
Like other big cats, leopards are expert ambush predators that use their natural stealth to sneak up on their prey before bringing them down with explosive attacks that target vulnerable areas like the neck.
Leopards take this even further, as their solitary lifestyles and hunting patterns require them to rely on being stealthier than competing predators, which are often physically stronger or pack hunters, to offset any weaknesses.
This female had hidden herself so effectively that she’s difficult to spot at the beginning of Bryan’s footage, and several impalas leap straight over her without even realizing her presence.
It’s a perfect moment for a predator, with her hiding place giving her ample time to wait for the opportunity to surge upwards and secure a tasty meal.
Waiting For The Opportune Moment
Waiting for the opportune moment, the leopard remained hunkered down while several impalas passed. She was in no hurry to reveal herself and frighten her prey, which would make her hunt all the more difficult.
Bryan described the wait as being full of tension as the leopard let more and more impalas pass. He said, “We weren’t sure if we’d see a successful hunt or not”, perhaps wondering if the leopard would wait too long and miss out on the best time to attack.
A Leopard’s Textbook Takedown
The leopard knew exactly what she was doing, and when one impala tried to run past the tree, it made the fatal mistake of crossing too close to her hiding place.
With lightning-quick reflexes, the leopard launched from her concealed position and brought the impala to the ground before it even had time to react.
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For the tourists watching, they’d just seen her pull off a perfect hunt complete with a stunning ambush, and Bryan said that when the kill finally came, “it was incredible to watch. Beyond description”.
Nature’s Fast Food
The leopard’s amazing speed meant that she’d identified her target, leapt from her hiding place, and killed the impala in less than ten seconds. Now that’s fast food.
She almost instantly got her teeth around the impala’s neck, and from that moment her prey was doomed, but at least it had a relatively quick death.
Bryan described the scene as “something rare, powerful, exceptional, and emotional”, and it’s a real testament to the experience of guides like Simon Vegter, who work hard to bring their tour groups incredible sightings like these.