A lost little bird wobbles onto a riverbed, right where a leopard cub is busy playing. The bird, knowing nothing better, walks right up to the leopard!
One of the resident female leopards in the area had made a kill on the banks of a dry riverbed. Her cub had joined her during the night and was now in the same river bed as the kill. We had been watching them for some time, and the little cub seemed playful as it ran up and down the river sand.
It all changed in a heartbeat when a few goslings appeared at one end of the river bed. They were walking straight to the leopard and her cub, and they had no idea! The cub noticed the movement, but luckily for the little goslings, they went into thicker bush. One gosling then decided to come out into the open, and that’s when the leopard went for it.
The gosling was able to use our vehicle as some cover and went under the vehicle. However, as soon as it came out from under the leopard, it caught it and ran off with it. The smart little bird played dead, and that’s when the leopard let it go. But as soon as it ran off again, the leopard pounced and once again caught it!
The leopard then took its prize up into a nearby tree, and we all thought it was the end for the little bird. Playing dead still, the gosling found itself up a tree and helpless. But luck truly was on this little one’s side, and he fell out of the tree. The gosling still playing dead, lying on the ground, hoping it will put the leopard off.
To everyone’s surprise, the leopard remained in the tree, closely watching the gosling. Seizing the moment, the gosling took a chance and ran towards the thick bushes where its siblings were hiding. Disappearing into the dense bush, the gosling successfully escaped the leopard, leaving the predator unable to locate it again.
The leopard actually knows how soft that baby bird is so it handles it smoothly without hurting it, a great predator! Respect!!
