A lucky safari guide at Mala Mala within the Sabi Sand Game Reserve came across a rare sighting: two male leopards fighting in broad daylight, followed by an even rarer sighting of a female leopard jumping in to break up the fight.
Daniel Bailey captured the affair while on a recent game drive. ‘It was early in the morning. The temperature was still cool and ideal for a sighting of one of the big cats. Not long after we started the drive, we found fresh tracks of a male leopard on the road close to the riverbank,’ he told Latest Sightings.
Bailey said that after they found the leopard, it became clear that there was another leopard in the area. ‘The presence of a female and two big males seeking breeding rights, it had all the ingredients for an unforgettable sighting. It was clear that neither male wished to relinquish the opportunity to win the female. The scene was on a knifes edge and tensions were running high. A clash was imminent.’
The fight was presumably over the female who was in heat.
After the dust settled, the leopards went on their way. The older male, who sustained an injury to the head, began cleaning his wound.
Image: Latest Sightings
