Gerhard Hildebrand submitted this cute video to Latest Sightings. He filmed it while on a game drive in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, South Africa.
Bonding time
We’re met with a lovely sight as Gerhard’s video begins. A leopard cub plays beside its resting mother.
We can assume that the mother had returned to the den site to feed her cub. With mealtime over, it was time for her to rest while the cub played.
A mind of its own
Now, if you’ve ever watched a cat, you’ll know that its tail often appears to have a mind of their own. So, when the cub looked for something to play with, its attention fixed on its mother’s twitching tail.
The more it twitched, the more determined the cub became to pin it down. However, since the cub hadn’t yet mastered multitasking, it occasionally lost its footing.
Maternal patience
Thankfully, it didn’t have far to fall and was soon back on its paws. Dusting itself off, it clambered back onto the ledge where Mum lay, patiently watching over her energetic offspring.
Leopards are typically nocturnal, so Mum was happy to have a few moments of rest before she’d have to go hunting again.
Hard to pin down
Meanwhile, the cub continued in its efforts to hunt the evasive tail. However, each time it thought it might catch it, it mysteriously twitched out of reach.
No matter how focused the little one was, her ‘prey’ escaped. Perhaps it was time for a new game.
I know, I’ll catch Mum!
Turning around, a new and larger target came into view. Mum. Boldly, the cub marched up to her, ready to sink its fearsome claws and teeth into her neck.
If you look carefully, you can see how petrified Mum is as the cub closes in. Not!
A lesson in physics
And, with good reason. As the cubs stepped on her shoulder, its paw once again slipped.
Subsequently, finding no purchase in her fur, the cub fell victim to forces from which none of us are immune – momentum and gravity.
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Over the edge
Complicating matters, Mum was perched right on the edge of the ledge. As a result, there was nothing to stop the cubs’ fall from grace.
In the blink of an eye, the clumsy cub fell from view, much to the consternation of Gerhard and his companions.
As for Mum. Well, she barely seems to have noticed. Or, she knew something the onlookers didn’t.
I’ll find my fun elsewhere
As it happened, she was right not to worry. For, seconds later, the cub popped back up to its feet, none the worse for wear.
Only this time, it seems that the cub had decided that Mum was not the cooperative plaything it had hoped she would be.
As Gerhard’s video comes to an end, the cub was last seen heading off in search of new prey.
Even so, Mum maintained her stoic stare into space. No doubt, this was not the first time her curious cub had wandered off. Nor, we presume, would it be the last.