'One wrong move could be fatal': experts warn against close wildlife interactions

Wildlife experts warn that the face-to-face encounter between a leopard and a safari guide, captured in three striking images widely shared on social media this past week, is highly unusual and should not be encouraged by anyone wanting similar close-ups, as these situations can quickly take a dangerous turn.

The photographer is asserting his rights and the images and the visuals cannot be used.

The three images, believed to have been taken at a lodge concession within the Kruger National Park (KNP), show an intense moment where a young male leopard jumped onto the front of an open safari vehicle and is face-to-face with the driver.

In the first image, the leopard has its front paws inside the vehicle, leaning towards the driver, seemingly alert and curious. The driver appears calm but aware of the situation. In the second image, the leopard is fully inside the vehicle, staring directly at the driver while he stays still and composed, possibly trying not to provoke the animal. In the third image, the leopard is extremely close to the driver’s face, sniffing or inspecting him, while the driver remains impressively calm, avoiding sudden movements and not making any eye contact with the big cat. By averting his gaze he showed the leopard that he was not a threat to it.

Carnivore scientist at the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency Gerrie Camacho said this was abnormal behaviour from a big cat and shouldn't be entertained as things could easily have gone wrong.

“Whether the guides allowed the situation to play out through habituation or it was just a one-off typical behaviour by an individual is not something I can directly comment on. But this is not typical of leopard behaviour.

“It can happen with certain individuals depending on their personality trait, learnt behaviour based on mother's behaviour towards vehicles or could be born near and exposed to being around lodges or merely have a very inquisitive nature and not feeling a threat from the vehicles.”

Camacho explained that young male cats are often bolder, frequently lingering around lodges when they begin dispersing. This behaviour is likely because they feel safer from rival males and have access to animals that are “tamed easy prey” near the lodges.

While possible, it is not typical, he emphasised.

“The individual animal is learning and reinforcing behaviour that is not only dangerous for people on the vehicle but compromising his own life.

Allow the animal to maintain its comfort zone. Distance is a sign of a good guide.

—  Gerrie Camacho, big cat scientist  

“Individuals can act this way but it's not common or typical or good for various reasons. I'm not commenting on the guide as I'm not sure of the exact circumstances, but it shouldn't be entertained by any means, based on the unpredictability of these cats and where a small trigger can cause things to go the wrong way.”

Camacho questions the level of respect for wild animals' space in some tourism situations, as it is common practice for guides to bring clients as close as possible to wildlife interactions — without crossing the line — by using game-viewing vehicles to create an illusion of safe unity. 

It was vital for guides to keep two key factors in mind, he said: 

• Respect the animal’s space — allow the animal to maintain its comfort zone. If it approaches the vehicle, guides should either move away or deter it by starting the engine or making a loud noise to scare it off.
• Consider the risk to both the animal and the clients — if an animal becomes too accustomed to and comfortable with vehicles, its life is also at risk.

Guides must prioritise client safety, as most guests lack experience and trust that the guide’s actions are appropriate.

“You have to break the habitat by creating a comfort zone and an environment for the cat to know its comfort distance. In this case, the slightest wrong trigger from a client can be fatal as it is clear that the next step for this male was wanting to get inside the vehicle.

“This was a matter of curiosity which could end in a fatality, because the moment that cat moves closer to a client who shows the wrong response or makes the wrong sounds, one bite could be fatal should it get a scare or response stimulus,” Camacho said.

According to Camacho, the power, agility and speed with which these animals can turn curiosity into attack are way more superior than what the human mind can process.

“One bite or claw is enough to become fatal or cause serious injury, and remember they focus on the fragile area around the throat and face,” he said.

“Guides guiding in a dangerous animal environment and who are not that experienced should always remember that they are in control of the situation and not the client.

“Showing a conscious respect to distance in approaching the cat should be a sign of a quality guide and not to see how far they can stretch the danger zone! Respect is always a good trait,” he said 

Camacho said the moment you habituate an animal for tourism purposes, you are lowering the individual animal's fear and thus creating a higher risk.

“That individual will definitely become more dangerous,” he said.

SANParks general manager in sustainable development and management in the Savanna Research Unit, Dr Danny Govender, agreed the KNP incident is not typical behaviour for a wild leopard.

“A wild leopard would normally want to flee a game drive vehicle full of people.

“Though not encouraged, we are aware that many lodges do allow for the habituation of leopards to safari vehicles,” she said.

Govender said habituation to vehicles is defined as the removal of the strongest feelings of fear and the desire to escape from safari vehicles and their associated sounds, smells and so on, allowing for high-quality photographic safari experiences. 

If done correctly, habituation should not affect the animal's behaviour and the animal should go about its business, unaffected by the presence of the vehicle, she said. “However, some individual animals may become very habituated and may even stop what they are doing and interact with the safari vehicle.

“Some habituation may be taken too far, with animals losing the fear of people. This can present challenges to the safety of people — both tourists and staff — and is strictly discouraged.

“A responsible quality guiding experience seeks to have a guest experience an animal's natural behaviour without changing or affecting it,” she said.