As with any young animal – cats in particular – curiosity often gets the better of them and they find themselves in a potentially sticky situation.
The rhinos reached the waterhole, and we watched them drinking – as we sat quietly, a young leopard appeared, and wasted no time stalking towards where the rhinos were. Once they had finished drinking, they turned away and began to move off. This was the leopard’s cue to try her luck, and we watched incredulously as the 30kg cat stalked about two tons of rhino across a short grass clearing. The leopard would trot after the pair, stopping abruptly each time the rhino sensed something was following them, and then try again.
She managed to get to within a few metres of the calf, until its mother caught sight of her, and charged. Deciding she was outweighed, the leopard hid in a thicket while the rhino stood menacingly just a few paces away. Once again, as the pair turned and walked off, the leopard immediately stalked them again in an oversized game of “cat and mouse”, or in this case “cat and rhino”.
Sightings like this are rare indeed – proof though, you never know what to expect each time you head out on a game drive!