For the predators, firstly, catching enough food is a constant for their existence and secondly, to hold onto the kill long enough to feed on it, is the next big battle! We witnessed one such encounter with a leopardess and her cub, whose kill was stolen by a pair of lionesses, which sent the cub into hiding and the mother leopard on the run.
Our group was split between two vehicles and one of the vehicles arrived just as the leopardess had caught a young kudu, dragging it past the vehicle, up into the branches of a nearby tree. Once the kill was secured in the tree and was as safe as it would be from other predators and scavengers, she began to feed. Later that evening she went to fetch her 9 month-old cub to feed on the kill. They fed peacefully without incident that evening and even though hyena were no doubt in the area, with the kill hoisted, there was little chance of them getting anything but scraps that fell to the ground as the leopards fed.
The following morning however, things got a little more threatening for the leopards as two lionesses got wind of the kill and came straight to the kill sight, sending the cub into the upper reaches of a nearby tree and the mother leopard slinking away to avoid the larger cats. The lions made their way up the tree and pulled the remains of the kill to the ground, quickly finishing what was left of the kudu.
As you can imagine, the mother leopard was extremely concerned about her cub’s whereabouts. As we arrived we found her about a hundred yards from the sight where the lionesses fed and where we assumed her cub would be, thankfully hidden in the upper reaches of a tree, safe from the lions. We sat quietly watching the leopardess inch closer to the scene, pausing and listening before moving ever closer.
When she was about fifty yards from the kill sight she froze, crouching low, ears flat and in typical leopard fashion, flattened herself to the ground trotting as quickly as possible in the opposite direction. One of the large lionesses approached her through the woodlands, walking just past the back of our vehicle in the direction of the leopard. Leopards are fortunately incredibly gifted in the art of hiding and avoiding such encounters and the lioness didn’t find her.
Competition between these predators is a never-ending story and with the lions being much larger and stronger than a leopard, the leopard’s only chance is to disappear and avoid actual contact.
We left the area after this encounter, as we didn’t want to distract the leopard when the lions were on her trail. The following morning we heard that tracks for the mother had been seen in the area, but still no sign of the cub. What usually happens is the cub will remain as still and hidden as possible until the mother returns. She then contact calls the cub, communicating that all is safe.
Since there was a vehicle with the leopards when the lions arrived and there was no report of the cub getting into any difficulties with the lions, we were confident that all was well with the cub and they would no doubt be reunited within a day or so.
Sightings such as these shed some light on just how many potential threats there are to all of the animals in the wild and makes you appreciate an adult animal when you see one, be it an impala, a lion or an elephant, knowing how many challengers they have survived to make it through to adulthood.