The memorable moment demonstrated just how sought-after food is in the wild and to what measures animals will go to secure that food.
Hyena loiters around kill
A spotted hyena stood beneath a tree, feeding on a kill. Spotted hyenas are often regarded as scavengers. However, they are just as adept at hunting their own prey.
It was unclear whether this hyena had made the kill it was now feeding from, however, the animal was certainly focused on the feast. It ate with its head down, unaware of a leopard stalking towards it in the near distance.
Stealthy leopard approaches hyena
The leopard stalked closer. The kill also held its focus and it was determined to outwit the hyena.
By the time the hyena noticed the presence of the predator, it was upon the carcass. A tussle for the meat ensued.
Both the hyena and leopard tugged at the flesh of the deceased prey.
The hyena held its ground in the presence of such a strong apex predator. Hyenas are usually found in groups called clans, and had its clan been with it, the leopard wouldn’t have approached the kill as it could have risked injury.
For a while, the leopard appeared to back off, appearing to be calculating its next move.
This seemed to give the hyena a certain measure of confidence, and it backed away from the kill momentarily.
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Leopard executes master plan
The leopard, however, did have a plan and took the moment to move like lightening towards the carcass, lifting it up in its jaws and running for the tree.
It climbed the tree with ease, lifting the full weight of the kill up the trunk and into the tree’s branches. It was a breathtaking moment, and by the time the hyena responded to the leopard’s sneaky move, it was too late.
The leopard was already up the tree and the hyena, not being a skilled climber like the leopard, could do nothing but watch as its feast was lifted up and out of view.
Leopards are very much at home in treetops. They often drag their kills up trees and into the higher branches, out of reach of other animals. This allows them to feast in peace.
The leopard had not only taken the meal from the pesky hyena, it had found a treetop refuge where it could eat the entire kill all by itself.
This scene was a dramatic and unusual interaction. Normally it’s the other way around. Sotted hyenas often steal kills from leopards, since hyenas live in clans, are bold, and use teamwork to overpower solitary cats. However, under certain conditions, such as this one, a leopard can turn the tables.
When a leopard does steal a kill from a spotted hyena, it’s usually about timing and opportunity. As this one did, the leopard will use its superior agility to snatch a carcass when the hyena is distracted, then quickly drag it into dense cover or up a tree. Hyenas can’t climb well, so once elevated, the leopard is safe.
