If guests peeked out of their windows in the wee hours of Sunday morning, they'd have witnessed an incredible sight - a leopard hunting right outside their rooms.
The leopard was caught on camera stalking the hapless nyala in the grounds of the Idube Game Reserve lodge, in the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve near Kruger National Park.
Field guide Camz Engelbrecht told Traveller24 that he spotted the leopard on the lawns of the lodge leading up to the guest rooms at around 5.20am. That's when he started filming.
In the minute-long clip, the leopard can be seen sneaking up on its prey from behind a rock then pouncing to take down the hapless nyala. The animal fights for its life, but its over in seconds as the leopard pins it to the ground.
The female leopard is well-known by the lodge staff and is named Scotia, who is mom to a 9-month old cub. As they knew it would return for the kill, Engelbrecht and his colleagues dragged the carcass about 400m outside of camp.
His advice for anyone coming across a similar scene? Keep your distance, and ensure you have an escape route.
This is not the first time a kill has taken place within the relative safety of a camp. In June guides were woken up to the sounds of 14 hyena taking down a kudu - inside the foyer of a luxury lodge.
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