Watch The Sighting Here:
Professional guide Matthew Poole filmed the tense encounter and submitted his record of events to Latest Sightings. He filmed it on the banks of the Sand River in the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve in South Africa.
Lucky Find
Matthew told Latest Sightings that he was excited when a report of a leopard on the move came in. Arriving at the location, he found it, which soon lay down to rest.
The leopard scanned its surroundings and remained completely relaxed. However, it had missed something. Lying in the adjacent riverbed, a male lion was watching it intently.
Focused Feline
Realising the leopard hadn’t seen it, the lion rose to its feet and began stalking, creeping forward when the leopard looked away and freezing each time it glanced back.
Amazingly, despite having no cover, the lion remained undetected, and the leopard failed to notice its approach.
It was so oblivious, it put its head down, closed its eyes, and started to nod off.
Still Undetected
Meanwhile, the big male lion stalked ever closer… still undetected.
Two-in-one
At this point, both lion and leopard were in the same frame of Matthew’s camera.
For such a big animal, the lion was remarkably stealthy. Moments later, it had ascended the riverbank and was within a metre of the sleeping leopard.
Poised To Pounce
The lion gathered itself below the leopard before easily jumping over the lip of the bank. As it did so, the leopard finally realised something was amiss.
Catlike Reflexes
With the lion still in midair, the smaller cat rolled onto its back defensively, raising its razor-sharp claws to meet the threat. Seeing this, the lion was forced to step back.
As the lion landed, the leopard lay before it, but for some reason, it didn’t press home its advantage. Wary now, the lion edged to the left, pressing into a small bush.
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Opportunity Knocks
Instinctively, the leopard seized the small window of opportunity. Springing to its feet, it once again swiped at the hesitant lion.
As it did so, it sprang sideways into the air, its trajectory taking it over the lip of the riverbank.
As it fell from view, the lion finally turned to pursue it. Leaping down the steep embankment, he seemed determined to catch the fleeing leopard.
However, as he ran past another safari vehicle, it was clear this wouldn’t be his lucky day.
By this time, the leopard had scaled a nearby tree. In the final moments of Matthew’s video, the lion is seen contemplating what could have been.
Meanwhile, the relieved leopard looks down from the tree, no doubt relieved to have escaped an unpleasant end.
Interpredator Rivalry
Predators competing for the same resources rarely show tolerance for one another. If the lion had acted more aggressively, it would likely have injured or even killed the leopard.
Bigger and stronger than all their rivals, male lions normally don’t hesitate to kill them when the opportunity presents itself. However, on this occasion, the leopard’s aggressive reaction no doubt saved its life.
One can only hope that next time it lies down to rest, it will be more aware of potential dangers nearby.