An adult leopard was spotted following and grabbing a cheetah cub while its mother was trying to protect it.
On January 21, 2022, a game drive on the S119, 400 meters from the S25, in the Kruger National Park, was when Safari Nest, a travel operator, saw this incredible sighting.
According to the report told to LatestSightings.com by the Safari Nest Team, “Earlier in the morning we were at a leopard cub sighting. The cub of the leopard was in a tree when it jumped out of the tree and vanished into some bushes. We made the decision to take a drive to Gardenia Hide after seeing three cheetahs moving across the riverbed in the direction of the S25 along the S119.
We chose to take a film of the cheetah moving along the riverbank as the two cubs played because it was so hot. One of the cheetah cubs was hurt when a leopard suddenly burst through the undergrowth from the thickets.
“The force and the unrelenting onslaught stunned the hapless cub. The mother cheetah attempted to defend herself and save her child, but the leopard was a stronger opponent. The leopard dragged the mother cheetah into the bushes, where she sat and watched over her cub.
“The leopard then left the injured cub to rest in the bushes behind it in the scorching sun. The cub was worn out and made every effort to stand up and flee, but it was too seriously hurt. The leopard then made a second appearance, pursued the cub, and finally killed it by dragging it into some bushes.
The next morning, the mother and youngster were found in the riverbed not far from where the leopard killed the smaller cub. “The sad mother and the second cub did not go far, and they spent the entire afternoon trying to find the missing cub. The mother and the other cub are still grieving their loss three days after the cub was murdered.
“At first, this was just a regular sighting. All of our attention was on the cheetahs, and no one noticed the leopard. We were surprised and amazed when the leopard killed the cheetah youngster! No one was able to believe what they had just seen! This was a sighting of animals like you only see on television.
We had never before seen a cheetah being killed by a leopard, so this was unique. Be ready for anything at a sighting because each seeing is distinctive and individual.