With My Own Eyes

BUFFALO SPOOKS LEOPARD, KRUGER PARK

Our home is near the Malelane gate into the Kruger Park – it faces the Crocodile River and we look directly into the park. My husband Chris and I were standing on the deck overlooking the river and I was photographing two buffalo relaxing in the morning sun on the riverbank. I was using my Canon 5D Mark III with a Sigma 150 – 600 mm lens, zoomed in all the way. Chris was the first to notice a leopard (a female, we think) that had come down to drink. She was not far from where the buffalo were lounging (photo 1) , and actually walked right past them without giving them a glance. After quenching her thirst, she strolled along the riverbank, back past the snoozing buffalo, to lie down under a tree. Suddenly, the leopard stood up – we gathered that she’d caught sight of impala grazing some way off. She crept forward in typical leopard style, intent on stalking her next meal (photo 2) . The buffalo played no part in her plan. She totally ignored them, even though they were only a few metres away. But one of them wasn’t too happy with her presence… Pandemonium erupted seconds later, when a buffalo snuck up behind the leopard (apparently buffalo can sneak!) and gave her the boot, or should I say, horn (photos 3 – 5) . The leopard jumped sky high (photo 6) and beat a hasty retreat, lunch forgotten. Luckily she wasn’t seriously injured and made a beeline for the bush (photo 7) to no doubt nurse her aching rear. This was one of the most unusual interactions Chris and I had ever witnessed. The behaviour of both the buffalo and the leopard was so unexpected.