Two lions were intent on trying to steal a leopard kill at the top of a tree in Sabi Sand Game Reserve until a herd of elephants came to the leopard’s aid, ushering the lions away.
‘We had been tracking a cheetah for some time, following its tracks in the sand, when a call came through on the radio that a male leopard had just been spotted, the Ravenscourt male. So, we immediately aborted our cheetah tracking and headed toward the leopard,’ Sabi’s head guide, FJ Mammes, told Latest Sightings.
Lions can sometimes be opportunistic and take advantage of meals hunted by other predators, such as leopards, using their strength and size to intimidate other predators and scare them away from the prey.
‘As we were on our way there, another call came through on the radio that he had killed an impala. In our pursuit of catching a glimpse of the leopard, we were distracted by the sight of two lionesses. And it looked like they were heading in the same direction as us,’ FJ added.
When they arrived on the scene, one of the lionesses was climbing the tree, which caused the leopard to drop its kill. ‘The other lioness grabbed the kill off the floor and ran off while the first lioness began attacking the leopard.’
‘Just when we thought it could not escalate further, a herd of elephants appeared out of the thickets, unhappy with all the commotion disturbing their day. The elephants began trumpeting, which in turn caused the lioness in the tree to flee.’
Watch the series of events in the video below.
Picture: Screenshot
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