Quality family time is a key part of the developmental process of most mammals. For big cats, it’s a key opportunity to develop social skills, as well as physical strength and hunting ability. It’s not just play for these animals, it’s practice as well.
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Mike Botes spotted this leopard cub play fighting with its mother at the MalaMala Game Reserve, and caught the event on camera before sending that footage in to Latest Sightings.
Doing Her Best Bird Impression
Due to how relaxed both animals are, it was likely that this sighting took place in an area where they both felt safe and secure, like near the den they were currently using.
These dens aren’t permanent, as leopards will move their cubs regularly in an effort to make sure they are safe from any predators in the area that are on the lookout for an easy snack.
The way that the grass in the area was all pushed down flat would also suggest that this was not the first time they’d played this game with each other, but it did have the added effect of making the leopard mom look like an enormous bird in her nest.
An Unprovoked Attack
This bird impression wasn’t helped by the fact that this mom settled herself down between two small saplings, as if she was trying to perch on them. But she didn’t have long to relax before she found herself under attack.
The little leopard cub effected a slow approach, trying to lull its parent into a sense of false security. It opted for a sudden leap when it got close enough, going straight for the head as it had no doubt learned to do from previous games.
This was also no lazy attempt at play fighting, as this leopard cub came in with acrobatic determination. Rather than simply batting at its mother with its paws, it did a somersault over her head before dragging it down to the ground.
Adaptive Tactics
On the ground, it was a different kind of fight. This leopard cub had played a strong opening move, but that seemed to take everything it had, and it didn’t have much of a follow up plan.
In the absence of a continued plan of attack, it began just rolling around in the grass, trying to use guile and trickery in a futile attempt to try and break through its mother’s defense.
When it quickly became clear that this wasn’t going to work, the cub decided to change tactics again, and returned to a host of dramatic acrobatic attacks from a variety of new directions.
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Too Far
Whether or not this leopard mother told its cub that it was going to get hurt if it wasn’t careful is unknown, but the game did come to a rather abrupt halt when she pinned the cub to the ground.
This little cub had aspirations to greatness, but it had learned that it was going to be some time before it was big and strong enough to really hold up well in a fight.
