UPFRONT
It’s mine!
The S90 south of Balule in the Kruger Park was just starting to feel monotonous when a jackal ran across the road. We pulled over and saw movement in a bush: a hyena, looking like it had recently fed. Out of nowhere, a big male leopard strode across the road and headed straight over to the bush – the hyena ran in the other direction.
The leopard pulled a warthog carcass from the bush and the hyena reappeared. It wasn’t going to vanish quietly, even though it was smaller than the leopard.
The two kicked up dust as they fought over the warthog. Despite its size advantage, the leopard seemed cautious, even scared. The hyena snatched the carcass from the leopard’s jaws and returned to the bush with it.
The leopard, however, wasn’t ready to give up its meal and used the same tactic on two occasions, both times with little success.
After a while, two smaller hyenas joined the party and the leopard admitted defeat.
PIETER OOSTHUIZEN, Pretoria
Lucky leopard
I work as a safari
