Tag: leopard

‘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.

Dog escapes attacking leopard, thanks to pet owner’s actions

Video from a home in India shows a leopard sneaking up on a dog, grabbing it and leaping off a balcony before its owner comes to the rescue.

A surveillance camera at a home in India captured footage of a leopard sneaking up on and attacking a dog lying on a rug on an outside balcony.

Video shows the leopard grabbing the dog, leaping off the balcony and trying to run off with it only to be foiled by the pet owner, whose screams and chase of the animal was enough to prompt the release of the dog.

Once it was freed from the leopard’s grasp, the dog quickly ran in the opposite direction.

The incident occurred on January 20 at 3:22 p.m. in the municipality of Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, according to Newsflare.

Nature Is Metal posted the video on its Instagram account. Newsflare also shows the video. (Note: To view on some servers, you might have to click on the link.).

 

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Nature Is Metal reported that the dog escaped with no injuries, saying, with a bit of humor, “The man was never seen again, but the dog made it out OK.”

Watch: Wild dogs turn the tables on a stalking leopard

A leopard that snuck up on a pack of unsuspecting wild dogs sleeping in the grass thought it had an easy meal as it stealthily closed in.

A leopard that snuck up on a pack of unsuspecting wild dogs sleeping in the grass thought it had an easy meal as it stealthily got closer and closer.

Wildlife photographer John Fabiano was on a safari near Lower Sabie of South Africa’s famous Kruger National Park when his group witnessed the rare encounter. And he got the moment on video.

Fabiano described how it came down to LatestSightings.com:

“The leopard, using the wind and bushes to its advantage, began a stealthy approach towards the dogs. It used the direction of the wind to blow its scent away from the dogs so they could not be alerted. The thick bushes were perfect camouflage for the leopard.

“Moving closer to the unsuspecting dogs with each step. The leopard was careful not to make a sound, placing each paw precisely where the first was. Its eyes, sharp and focused, never left the dogs as it moved. The dogs were completely unaware. The leopard’s movements were so silent and calculated that it was able to get within a few meters of the sleeping dogs!”

Until…

“Just then, one wild dog lifted its head and saw the leopard a few meters from it, instantly shifting the dynamics,” Fabiano stated. “The leopard turned in shock and began running, and a chase ensued as the dogs all took off behind the leopard.

“The confrontation ended as quickly as it began, with the dogs triumphantly returning to their resting spot. For the dogs, they were extremely lucky that one of them picked up the leopard’s presence, had they not things might not have ended so well for one of them!”

Fabiano told LatestSightings.com that seeing the wild dogs was special, but “witnessing their interaction was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Watch leopard’s incredible leap to catch monkey in opposite tree

A tourist in India has captured footage showing a leopard leaping several meters from tree to tree to catch a monkey on a branch.

A tourist in India has captured extraordinary footage showing a leopard leaping several meters from tree to tree to catch a monkey on a branch.

“This is why leopards are known as [the] most opportunistic and versatile hunters,” Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service stated on Twitter.

Nanda did not identify the person who captured the footage, which begins with a leopard’s failed attempt, and a fall to the forest floor, before the monumental leap and capture.

The Indian leopard is a subspecies that is found across the Indian continent.

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According to the World Land Trust, “They are opportunistic hunters built for strength rather than speed, with large sculls and powerful jaw muscles to kill medium-sized herbivores.”

Watch: Baby goose pulls a fast one to escape from leopard

Video showing a baby goose in the jaws of a leopard seemed to suggest (wrongly) that the footage was heading toward a sad ending. It wasn’t.

A video showing a baby goose in the jaws of a leopard seemed to suggest the footage was heading toward a sad ending for the little bird. But the gosling had a clever trick up its feathers. It played dead.

The video was captured by safari guide Benji Solms of the Serondella Game Lodge in South Africa and was shared by Latest Sightings.

A few baby geese appeared at one end of a dry river bed where a leopard and its cub had been feeding on a kill. The tour group watched for some time as the cub played up and down the river sand.

“The cub noticed the movement, but luckily for the little goslings, they went into thicker bush,” Solms told Latest Sightings. “One gosling then decided to come out into the open, and that’s when the leopard went for it.”

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The baby goose ran from the leopard and when caught, played dead. It ran off again only to be caught again. The video cuts to the leopard lying in the sand when, suddenly, the gosling makes another mad dash. This time it made a successful escape.

“Seizing the moment, the gosling took a chance and ran towards the thick bushes where its siblings were hiding,” Solms explained. “Disappearing into the dense bush, the gosling successfully escaped the leopard, leaving the predator unable to locate it again.”

Photo courtesy of Latest Sightings.

Can you spot the leopard hiding at the Oakland Zoo?

The Oakland Zoo has posted an image to Facebook asking followers if they can spot its camouflaged male leopard.

The Oakland Zoo recently acquired a female leopard in the hope that she will develop a “love connection” with its resident male.

Their names are Emma and Lucha, and an update on their progress is forthcoming.

In a tease to this effect, the zoo on Friday shared an image of a camouflaged Lucha, an 11-year-old male, and stated to followers:

“Lucha the leopard is spotted… but can you spot him in this pic?”

Many in the comments section claimed to have spotted Lucha at first or second glance.

But for others it took a while, perhaps, because there’s a spot in middle of the image that looks as though it could be hiding Lucha.

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Some used the comment section to inquire further about the courtship between Emma and Lucha.

The most likely hiding place, of course, is the base of the tree:

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