WATCH: Leopard befriends newborn impala before hunting it down
Ranger Darren Muller from Inyati Game Lodge in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve captured this amazing footage while he was out on an afternoon drive tracking elephants.
The newborn baby was wet and the placenta was still visible. Female Impala’s generally leave the herd before birth and the mother and the newborn were alone.
For the next five minutes, we watched the newborn clumsily become familiar with its movements. Then, all of sudden there was commotion and Dewane, an old dominate male leopard, who must have been stalking the female and her baby, emerged and moved towards the Impala.
The mother instinctively ran, leaving Dewane directly in the path of the young impala.My guests and I feared the worst and this is when I began filming said Darren Muller
Here are a some questions ranger Darren Muller answered for wildlife enthusiasts
What was the guests’ reactions to this unusual sighting?
“I have read about rare incidences where this type of behaviour has been witnessed in big cats, particularly females, but this is the first time I have ever seen a leopard behave like this and the fact that it was an elderly male makes it even more peculiar!”
Why does the ranger think the leopard delayed killing the impala?
“ Its so hard to get into the mind of animals and understand why they behave in specific ways. If I was to speculate I would think that the reason Dewane behaved like this is was because of the confusion of the young impala not running away.Perhaps the trigger instinct was suppressed and the leopard simply became curious about the newborn Impala”
How did the sighting make the ranger feel, compared to other experiences?
“You always have mixed emotions when witnessing something like this. You come to understand that this is an inevitable part of nature. But even with this reasoning, its still very emotional to witness.”
Did they spot anything else that day?
“We were fortunate to find our Elephant herd that we were looking for when we came across this sighting and spent some time with the herd”
Can he share a top tip when taking a game-drive?
“Appreciate both the big and small that nature has to offer, bring binoculars and a good camera and you never know whats around the next corner”
Credit: Capture The Wild
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