This remarkable turn of events was posted on Latest Sightings on November 20, 2024. It was filmed on the banks of the Luangwa River, in South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.
This male leopard is blind in his right eye. According to a comment on the video, he’s a known resident of the area
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I’ve Heard Of A Cat Amongst The Pigeons, But This Is Ridiculous!
Whatever its backstory, you’ve got to admire the brave determination of the leopard in its efforts to get a bite or two of the meal being offered.
There is speculation as to what caused this event. Regardless, seeing a leopard scavenging is not all that unusual since they are successful hunters.
However, they are also opportunists and will scavenge when the chance presents itself.
When Opportunity Knocks
But this is on another level. One can’t argue that trying to snatch a meal from a dozen feeding crocodiles takes opportunism to a whole new level.
The leopard’s partial blindness can mean that it will take bolder risks as it has affected its ability to hunt. Yet, the animal appears to be healthy, showing no other signs of injury.
Risky Business
In the image above, the camera captures the leopard leaping backwards, probably as a giant crocodile threatened it. If one of the crocodiles got hold of the leopard, it would certainly give it a fatal injury.
A Different Angle
After the near miss, the leopard decides to back off and find a new angle. He snarls around, seeing that this is an uncomfortable position.
Well, That’s Not Helpful
As the leopard ponders his next move, another crocodile emerges from the water. This newcomer urged the leopard to hurry as more could come up.
A Close Call
The leopard takes the gap that the situation presents and feeds for a while. Meanwhile, the croc throws back chunks of meat. As the scene cuts, we can see that the leopard backed off from a possible threat from the crocs.
Undeterred, the leopard once again attempts to feed. By now, both the leopard and the crocs hiss aggressively, with the latter lunging threateningly.
Time For A New Approach
As things get more heated, the leopard decides that being sneaky will reduce the risk of a fatal counterattack. It circles back to its original position and resumes feeding.
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And Nerves Of Steel Too
The leopard proceeds to get stuck in, its head only centimetres from the jaws of the adjacent crocodiles.
Not content just to be eating, the leopard even swats the head of one of the crocs.
A Commotion Worth Investigating
As if this sighting wasn’t bizarre enough, a hippo then emerges from the water to investigate. Hippos have poor eyesight, so perhaps it couldn’t resist the curiosity to see for itself.
Although they are herbivores, hippos scavenge carcasses occasionally. Whether or not the hippo eventually ate any of the carcass remains uncertain.
A Final Twist
In the scene, a crocodile rolls onto its back.
We see one of the crocodiles has rolled onto its back. Their teeth grip and rip flesh during the so-called “death roll”. Crocodiles swallow food in whole or in large chunks.
Leopards, by contrast, use serrated molars to cut through and chew tissue.
Was It Worth It
The leopard wasn’t able to get much of a meal from this particular deal, or so we read in the comments. Eventually, it ambled off and we’ll never know if it realised just how lucky it was to leave unharmed.
We can safely assume that both the photographer and our viewers won’t easily forget this amazing sighting.