This very unfortunate warthog found itself in between a rock and a hard place. In this case, between a very hungry leopard and hyena, who were ripping the warthog apart as they fought over it, all while it was still alive!! 🫣
Jonathan Mccormick was out on a game drive in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve when he witnessed this once-in-a-lifetime sighting. He shared his footage and story with LatestSightings.com.
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“We had been tracking the leopard throughout our safari and eventually managed to find him. I instantly knew that he was hunting, specifically for warthogs, as he would walk from termite mound to termite mound, pausing for a moment, and then move again. That’s until he came across an active mound and stopped dead in his tracks. He waited, and within a few minutes, a warthog appeared. In a blink of an eye, the leopard was on it, and he grabbed the warthog with unbelievable precision.”
This was only the beginning though, and the leopard still had to pull the big warthog out from its burrow and then successfully suffocate it. With all its strength and the help of the firm termite mound, the leopard was able to pull the warthog out.
The warthog squealed for mercy as soon as it was pulled from the burrow, but the leopard had no intention of letting go; he was so close to success, that at this point, he could quite literally taste it. Little did the leopard know, something was watching his every move and patiently waiting to slip in and steal his meal. Just as it thought it had the perfect shot, a hyena came rushing down with the full intention of taking the leopard’s warthog. This surprised the leopard, but still, he wasn’t letting go easily.
And so, it began—a tug of war between two apex predators—a leopard and a hyena! And what was the “rope”? Well, it was the live warthog. The hyena pulled, and the leopard held on with his teeth for dear life. The hyena pulled so hard at one point that it pulled off the skin from the entire back leg of the warthog. And yes, the warthog was still alive!
Eventually, after some time, the hyena realized it was not going to pull the warthog away, so it began eating the warthog while the leopard was still trying to kill it. This was definitely a harsh lesson in the reality of nature.
In the end, the hyena was able to steal the warthog away from the leopard, and its friend joined in on the feast. The leopard was left empty-handed and forced to move on to look for another meal. Adding more fuel to this fascinating ancient rivalry.
