High speed chases between predator and prey are particularly exhilarating sightings where it’s not always obvious who to root for. Human involvement can sometimes complicate these sightings.
Petra Fischerlehner-Freiler witnessed this dramatic scene in the Kruger National Park, filming on the H4-1 road close to Lower Sabie and sending the footage of the event in to Latest Sightings.
Why Did The Leopard Cross The Road
When Petra and the rest of the group came across the pair, the hunt had already begun. The warthog wasn’t yet aware of the danger it was in and was peacefully grazing on the side of the road.
But the leopard was opposite, crouched low in the long grass and ready to pounce. Several vehicles had lined themselves up on the road nearby as they prepared to witness the spectacle, and one of them was about to take a warthog at full speed to the front bumper.
When the leopard was ready to spring its trap it sped across the road into the foliage on the other side and tried to catch its prey, but for all its preparations the warthog caught wind of its arrival and fled.
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A Chance To Escape
This was a significant problem for the leopard. Warthogs can make for difficult prey anyway, they’re fast and strong with long sharp tusks that make for excellent defensive weapons.
Attacking from the front, where those tusks are, is generally a poor decision. But attacking from the rear gives the warthog a better chance to escape if it realizes it’s being hunted because it doesn’t need to worry about maneuvering, it can just start running.
This warthog saw the chance, and took it. The leopard set off in hot pursuit, but the warthog had a lead and it was rapidly piling on the speed in its attempt to escape.
A Slight Detour
To the warthog’s surprise there was a barrier in its way as it tried to escape. Tearing through the long grass as fast as it could go to try and ensure its survival, the warthog probably didn’t have the best view of the road it was barreling towards.
All the cars were stationary as they watched the spectacle, but one of them was right in the path of the fleeing hog which burst out of the brush on the side of the road and sprinted at full speed into the front bumper of a car.
The unlucky animal was dazed, panicking and definitely bruised, but it managed to scramble to its feet and run on its way before the leopard came close to catching it.
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Now It’s A Party
Ultimately Petra reported that the warthog was able to escape the leopard, but not without some help. Right when it looked like the leopard would catch its prey, a clan of hyenas appeared likely attracted by the noise.
Things could have gone badly for the hog, but the various predators became so preoccupied amongst themselves that the warthog had the opportunity to escape to live another day.
