Tag: leopard

Can you spot the leopard? Photographer barely spotted it in time

Wildlife photographer Henri Olckers had nearly given up on spotting a leopard until he turned his head and saw some spots.

Editor’s note: A version of this post was first published on April 10, 2024.

Wildlife photographer Henri Olckers and his father were driving down a dirt road in Kruger National Park hoping to spot a leopard relaxing on a branch.

“But it wasn’t meant to be,” Olckers recalled to USA Today/For The Win Outdoors. “Or so it felt.”

They were driving on S125 for the first time in the iconic South African park.

“It is a beautiful, quiet 20-kilometer road, running parallel to a dry riverbed on the one side and dense bush on the other,” he told FTW Outdoors. “We were both scanning every tree next to the riverbed.

“Approximately 1 kilometer before the end of the road, we had almost given up all hope when I turned my head away from the riverbed and looked to the right. All I remember was seeing a few spots in the dense foliage, and I slammed on the brakes. I just remember yelling to my dad, ‘Leopard, leopard, leopard.’

“I grabbed my camera with my one hand and steered with the other. I couldn’t decide if I should reverse quickly and risk scaring it off or reverse slowly and miss a photo opportunity.”

He slowly got the vehicle into position. Luckily the leopard remained stationary and he started taking photos.

“It clearly wasn’t used to cars or people because it immediately lowered its head and ears as if trying to hide. Once we switched off the car, it relaxed a bit more, later seeming quite interested in us. After about 3-4 minutes, he got up and walked deeper into the bush where we lost visual.”

Several people viewing the image on Olckers’ Facebook page never could spot it. Among the comments:

“I would have driven straight past. Blissfully unaware.”

“Can’t see any animal, but just love the beautiful vegetation—especially the golden grasses.”

“I couldn’t find.”

“Took a while. I thought I was getting goofed on. I would not survive long in the jungle.”

Photo credit: Henri Olckers

The spots are what stand out the most, just as they did when Olckers first spotted them.

“It was the highlight of our trip,” Olckers told FTW Outdoors.

Photos used by permission of Henri Olckers.

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Can you spot the leopard with the ‘good disguise’?

Leopards have incredibly good camouflage. It’s amazing the photographer saw this one blending in with the grass.

Editor’s note: A version of this post was first published on April 5, 2022.

Leopards are so good at blending in to their environment that they are often difficult to spot in the wild, as is the case in this photo posted on Facebook by “Africa, this is why I live here.”

It isn’t an easy spot, as evidenced by the reactions by commenters on the Facebook post, a sampling we present here:

“I would have been so dead. It took me forever.”

“I’m amazed the photographer saw him.”

Related: Can you spot the leopard? Photographer barely spotted it himself

“Nope, don’t see it. Okay, on second look I saw it. But by this time, it’s too late.”

“Oh my goodness, what a good disguise!”

“Wow! Great camouflage!”

“Wow, I finally found it. I would have been his dinner, for sure.”

“It took me awhile.”

“I would have been eaten. Took me so long to find it.”

Dog flees stalking leopard while a smaller dog stays to ‘fight’

Two dogs encounter a stalking leopard in an Indian village, and security camera footage shows each reacting quite differently.

In a village in India, two dogs encountered a stalking leopard, and each reacted quite differently.

The incident occurred in the northern part of Nashik in a suburb called Makhmalabad, and was captured on a security camera around 11 p.m. on a rainy night at the end of September.

The footage shows the first dog obviously noticing the approaching leopard. It nearly ran into the parked motorcycle in its haste to get away.

The second dog, a bit smaller than the first, came out of a storage shed to watch its friend high-tail it out of there, unaware of the approaching leopard.

But the dog soon discovered why its friend ran away so quickly. When it turned, it saw the predator and reacted quite differently.

Instead of running away, the second dog retreated into the storage shed and fought back the only way it could: with its bark, a high-pitched screech. It was a panicked bark if ever there was one.

The leopard reacted by turning around and taking off.

Indian leopards can run up to 36 mph, can jump nearly 10 feet and can leap over 20 feet horizontally. So, the second dog probably would not have outrun the hungry leopard and did the correct thing.

Thankfully, its bark proved more threatening than its bite.

Photo courtesy of Biswajit Hindustan Media.

Watch: Brave (or foolish) leopard risks life to eat with 10 crocodiles

Numerous crocodiles were sharing a meal along a shoreline in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia when a leopard decided to join them.

Numerous crocodiles were sharing a meal along a shoreline in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia when a leopard decided to join them.

Wildlife photographer Stefan Cruysberghs was on an early morning safari when his group came upon the feeding frenzy as some 10-plus crocodiles fed on a puku antelope, as reported by Latest Sightings.

It was quite a scene, but the excitement level increased when another predator was added to the mix.

“It was a huge surprise for everyone at first, but then it was assumed that the leopard had originally caught the puku and was forced to abandon it,” Latest Sightings stated. “Now, it returned only to find that it had been claimed by a bask of crocodiles.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Lions think they can take down a rhino; boy, were they wrong (video)

“That would normally be the end of the story. After all, when crocodiles steal your meal, there really isn’t anything that can be done about that. However, this leopard wouldn’t have it! If it was going to lose its food, it wasn’t losing everything.”

So the leopard, risking its life, attempted to join them.

“The leopard zigged and zagged its way through the pile of crocodile bodies,” Latest Sightings said. “It even had to dodge a couple of snaps, but that wasn’t enough to deter it.

“It did end up finding the space it was looking for.”

But was it worth it? It only managed to get two small chunks of the puku before walking away.

Latest Sightings suggested that the leopard had an injured eye or possibly had a blinded eye, which might explain its risky behavior.

Photo courtesy of Latest Sightings.

 

Leopard chases squirrel up and down a tree in comical video

A ranger at a South African game reserve spotted a leopard in a tree and soon realized a squirrel was in the tree, too. Then the fun began.

A ranger at the MalaMala Private Game Reserve in South Africa spotted a leopard in a tree and soon realized a squirrel was in the tree, too. Then the fun began.

“Being about 100 times smaller, it would be safe to assume that the squirrel would make a dash for it, but no! Not this squirrel,” Piet Van Wyk told LatestSightings.com. “It wanted to have some fun first! It waited for the leopard at the bottom of the trunk, and as soon as the leopard came near, the squirrel shot back up the tree!

“Up and down, and around they went. It was like this squirrel had something to prove, or maybe just the heart of a lion!

“At one point, the leopard was so confused that it completely lost the squirrel, who was dead still, right in front of her face.

“Then, with a slight movement, the leopard found it again, and the games were back on!”

Van Wyk provided the hilarious video to LatestSightings.

“This lasted for about five minutes, and eventually, it was the squirrel that darted into the bushes,” Van Wyk said. “Maybe it became too tired or just had enough of messing around.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Shaking and with fear in her voice, hiker endures scary bear encounter

“The leopard was still determined and ran after it into the bushes, but never ended up catching it.”

‘Leopard under the car’; incredible encounter caught on video

Footage captured in South Africa reveals a leopard that is not the least bit deterred by the presence of a safari vehicle.

A guide in South Africa has captured rare footage showing a leopard traveling directly beneath his group’s safari vehicle to avoid altering its course.

“This leopard decided to pass not around, but right underneath us!” Marlon du Toit exclaimed last week via Instagram. “Unbelievable!”

Tourists express disbelief as the stealthy feline disappears briefly beneath the vehicle before emerging on the other side, ignoring their presence.

“Under the car…” astonished guests mutter, one after another.

The encounter occurred in Mala Mala Game Reserve, which is sandwiched between Kruger National Park and the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve.

Du Toit explained that wild animals in Mala Mala are accustomed to vehicles and their occupants, as long as occupants remain on the vehicles and maintain their composure.

“It’s also well known that smart, habituated leopards will use the cars and the sounds they make during hunts, to get closer to prey,” du Toit stated.

The guide added, half-jokingly: “Leopards that are so at ease with Mala Mala game viewers that they don’t mind going underneath, instead of around.”

Can you spot the leopard? Photographer barely spotted it himself

While on safari, wildlife photographer Henri Olckers had nearly given up on spotting a leopard until he turned his head and saw some spots.

Wildlife photographer Henri Olckers and his father were driving down a dirt road in Kruger National Park hoping to spot a leopard relaxing on a branch.

“But it wasn’t meant to be,” Olckers recalled to USA Today/For The Win Outdoors. “Or so it felt.”

They were driving on S125 for the first time in the iconic South African park.

“It is a beautiful, quiet 20-kilometer road, running parallel to a dry riverbed on the one side and dense bush on the other,” he told FTW Outdoors. “We were both scanning every tree next to the riverbed.

“Approximately 1 kilometer before the end of the road, we had almost given up all hope when I turned my head away from the riverbed and looked to the right. All I remember was seeing a few spots in the dense foliage, and I slammed on the brakes. I just remember yelling to my dad, ‘Leopard, leopard, leopard.’

“I grabbed my camera with my one hand and steered with the other. I couldn’t decide if I should reverse quickly and risk scaring it off or reverse slowly and miss a photo opportunity.”

He slowly got the vehicle into position. Luckily the leopard remained stationary and he started taking photos.

“It clearly wasn’t used to cars or people because it immediately lowered its head and ears as if trying to hide. Once we switched off the car, it relaxed a bit more, later seeming quite interested in us. After about 3-4 minutes, he got up and walked deeper into the bush where we lost visual.”

Several people viewing the image on Olckers’ Facebook page never could spot it. Among the comments:

“I would have driven straight past. Blissfully unaware.”

“Can’t see any animal, but just love the beautiful vegetation—especially the golden grasses.”

“I couldn’t find.”

“Took a while. I thought I was getting goofed on. I would not survive long in the jungle.”

The spots are what stand out the most, just as they did when Olckers first spotted them.

“It was the highlight of our trip,” Olckers told FTW Outdoors.

Photos used by permission of Henri Olckers.

Can you spot the leopard? Photographer spotted it just in time

An amateur wildlife photographer in Africa was fortunate to have witnessed firsthand a leopard’s ability to camouflage its body.

An amateur wildlife photographer was fortunate to have witnessed firsthand a leopard’s ability to camouflage its body.

Henri Olckers, a nature lover, frequently visits South Africa’s iconic Kruger National Park, one of the largest game reserves in Africa.

Olckers often posts photos on his Facebook page of the wildlife he encounters, including several involving leopards.

But images taken on the S1 tar road, near the S4 intersection, were nearly missed.

“We spotted the leopard walking and then she settled in the grass,” Olckers told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors. “If we drove past 30 seconds later, we would have missed her.”

Olckers shared three images, the last being a much closer shot. Note: The second image is repeated, revealing the leopard in the circle.

Among the reactions on Facebook:

“If you weren’t specifically looking for something…you would definitely miss it!”

“Wow, amazing.”

Some commenters thought there were two leopards hiding, but Olckers said there was only one.

Photos used with permission from Henri Olckers Wildlife Photography.  

Quick-thinking boy traps leopard to diffuse dangerous situation

Video shows a boy sitting on a bench near an open door when a leopard steps inside the room just feet away. His calm reaction is amazing.

A boy sitting on an office bench near an open door was suddenly confronted by a leopard stepping inside the room just a couple of feet away from him.

Mohit Ahire, 12, was playing a video game on a phone in the booking office of Sai Celebration wedding hall in Malegaeon, India, when the close encounter occurred Tuesday morning, as reported by the Times of India.

A surveillance camera captured what happened and it was posted on X.

“The leopard was so close,” Ahire told the Times of India. “There was hardly any space between the leopard and me. It walked into the inner cabin of the office right in front of me. I was scared, but I quietly managed to get off the bench and sneak out of the office. I closed the door behind me.”

Ahire is the son of a security guard at the wedding hall. After trapping the leopard, he told his father, who alerted authorities.

The leopard was eventually tranquilized and relocated by a team from Nashik city.

The calmness Ahire exhibited is truly remarkable.

Eerie footage shows ‘ghost of the forest’ entering residence

“Look who is silently entering into a home,” reads the social-media description of the video, captured in rural southern India.

A motion-sensor camera in southern India has captured rare nighttime footage of a fabled black panther lurking on the patio of a residence at night.

“Look who is silently entering into a home near Coonoor, Nilgiris,” Kishore Chandran described Thursday via X.

Coonoor is known for its sprawling tea plantations in the Nilgiri Hills.

The term black panther typically refers to a melanistic (all-black) leopard. The animal in the footage appears to be crossing in front of the home’s main door.

Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service shared Chandran’s post under the heading, “Ghost of the forest comes looking…”

In 2022, BBC Earth elaborated on the stealthy creatures: “Black panthers (Panthera pardus) are sometimes referred to as ‘the ghost of the forest’ because their dark fur allows for stealthy attacks in the dead of night.”

(Panthera pardus is the scientific name for a leopard.)

Chandran’s post inspired plenty of commentary.

One of the more popular comments:

“Enthusiasts spend a lifetime combing jungles to get a glimpse of the Black Panther! And here he is… roaming casually at this guy’s house… insane!”

Another observation: “At night, this would look more dangerous than a tiger.”

There were also references to the fictional “Jungle Book” character Bagheera, friend and protector of the ‘man-cub’ Mowgli.

The black panther in Chandran’s post appears to be traveling solo, looking out primarily for No. 1.