At 12 years of age, Muhammad proved himself an incredible cameraman. His clip tells the story of a mother’s steadfast, determined love.
Watch The Sighting:
The incredible sighting was filmed near the Satara camp in the Kruger National Park.
Leopard Attacks Baby Wildebeest
Indeed, predators often go after the old, the young, and the sickly because they are easier to catch and less likely to start a fight.
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This leopard took the opportunity to ambush a wildebeest calf, which stood vulnerable in the open, a distance from its mother.
However, the mother was not far off and quickly became aware of the danger. She charged towards where the leopard held her baby in its deadly grip.
While the leopard moved away momentarily, it was clear that the baby wildebeest had been grievously injured.
Mother Wildebeest Attempts To Revive Calf
The mother walked up to her baby and inspected its wounds. It lay writhing in the dust, and the chance of survival appeared slim. When it failed to stand at her promptings, she nudged it even harder, urging it to rise onto its legs.
However, the calf lacked the strength to do so. It was fast succumbing to its injuries.
Some heart-moving moments followed, with the mother determined to revive her calf. She nudged the little one persistently, determined that she could somehow revive it.
In a heartbreaking moment, she literally shoved it across the floor of the bushveld, desperately trying to awaken it back to its former strength.
However, the calf failed to respond as she hoped. It lay almost still, in one of the raw moments which characterise bushveld kills. Life and death, beauty and tragedy often occupy a single film clip of the wild.
Leopard Returns For Kill
While the leopard had disappeared momentarily, it hadn’t left the scene completely. It returned. This time, there was no animal to stop its advancements.
It approached the calf, which was still alive, and with sheer power overshadowed it.
The calf was now still, and the leopard sat in the silence with its kill. Peace once again returned to the bushveld setting, which had been violently disturbed by the commotion of the leopard and wildebeest interaction.
Leopard Disappears With Fresh Kill
The leopard carried the wildebeest’s lifeless body into the distance. The small animal’s body hung from its jaws, and had one driven past this same place just minutes earlier, it would have appeared absolutely as if nothing had happened, as the leopard disappeared so quickly from view.
Leopards are among the most stealthy, adaptable, and efficient hunters in the animal kingdom.
As hunters, they are incredibly strategic and intelligent. They will carefully choose ambush spots like narrow paths, riverbeds, or areas with dense vegetation where prey frequently passes. They will sometimes even stalk prey for hours, waiting for the perfect moment.
Though this leopard targeted a calf, leopards often bring down prey larger than themselves. Despite weighing around 40 to 90kg, leopards often prey on antelopes larger than themselves and young zebras.
Muhammed’s video shows that game viewers of all ages can actively get involved in capturing the breathtaking, unforgettable moments nature has to offer while out on a game drive.