This incredible sighting of one of nature’s greatest escapes was witnessed by Kerry Balaam, professional guide who runs Kruger Pride Safaris, at the Kruger Pride Safaris and Birdsong Lodge.
They talk about being ‘caught between a rock and a hard place’. This is exactly the predicament a male leopard found himself in when a pride of lions surrounded him.
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Leopard finds itself in a less than ideal situation
Kerry explained she and her guests had found a pride of lions just outside of Lower Sabie camp in the park. “The lions started walking and so we were following them.”
One of the male lions, possibly the pride leader, unexpectedly ran into a nearby bush and out came a leopard! The leopard must’ve been hiding there and now out in the open, he was quickly surrounded by the entire pride!
While the lions didn’t seem intent on harming the leopard, the leopard recognised the threat and knew he would have to find a way out.
Surrounded by the lions and in a terrible predicament, the leopard made it known he wasn’t there for a fight. He lay down in response to the threat, making himself very small.
He knew he didn’t stand a chance of surviving if he launched an attack.
As Kerry explained: “His head was down and his ears were flat, all techniques to show to the lions that he wanted to survive uninjured and that he wouldn’t attack if they wouldn’t.”
Leopard uses body to show submissiveness
The leopard proceeded to roll over onto his back. This behaviour was another strategic attempt to show the lions he meant no harm.
Kerry explained that this position is one of the most vulnerable positions for a cat to be in because the most delicate parts of the body are exposed.
“He obviously knew he didn’t have a chance against a pride of lions, so he was trying his best to let them know he wasn’t going to cause any trouble if they just let him go. “
The lions didn’t appear to be overly interested in attacking the leopard and joined him in lying down. For a moment, the sighting was most peculiar, with leopard and lions lying down side by side.
“Lions tend to have very short attention spans. It seems as if they just wanted to check if the leopard was going to put a fight, saw that he meant no harm and then they got distracted,” said Kerry.
Leopards will generally avoid fighting lions, however, this one’s unique position meant he had to take action, while still avoiding being harmed. Using his body to show submission and surrender was one of the tactics he chose to use. However, he wasn’t done yet. He still had another trick up his sleeve: a great escape plan.
From his position on his back, the leopard could be seen looking towards the lions to see whether they were suitably relaxed and all was good to go.
Leopard makes a run for it
When the opportune time came, he quickly leapt to his feet – lions still lying down – and made a run for it.
“While the lions were distracted, the leopard saw the perfect opportunity to escape the danger. It got up, sneaked away and then ran for its life!”
It didn’t take long for the lions to cotton on that the leopard hostage had escaped. While they went after the clever creature, they didn’t succeed in catching it.
The cunning leopard had escaped.
This mastery in escaping – first in using body language to remove the threat of attack, and then in waiting for the lions to be suitably sleepy, distracted and relaxed before darting off – showed just how intelligent leopards can be.
The leopard escaped unscathed!
It goes to show that even in nature, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’ is also true.