Watch this heart-pounding video to see how a leopardess sneaks up on a buck in complete safety by using a tree as cover!
A Leopardess was navigating behind a tiny sandbank on the path while the springbok was foraging, planning the ideal attack. Before giving her final chase, she moved in close proximity to the springbok using a tree as cover.
Johan Cronje, a 47-year-old employee of Practical Predator Solutions, captured this mesmerizing sighting while on safari with his family in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. The sighting occurred between the Rooibrak and Kamqua Water holes.
According to Johan, we went on a wildlife drive in the late afternoon at 15:30, the ideal time of day to observe a leopard. A female leopard that was crouching and intensely attentive was seen in the road.
The springbok had no idea that she was so close and kept foraging as she gently took cover behind a tree on the sandbank next to the road. The springbok couldn’t escape at this point, and the chase ended in a matter of seconds when the leopardess crept quickly behind the tree and approached the animal within a few feet.
The leopardess left the carcass in the shade after a very successful hunt and went in search of her two pups.
“In my years, I have witnessed several leopard sightings, but this one was unquestionably a once-in-a-lifetime encounter! It was a bonus that we were the only ones to see the sighting.