WATCH | Wildebeest tries to save calf from leopard and warthogs

20 January 2021 - 14:00 By unathi nkanjeni
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A wildebeest charges at a leopard after it tried to snatch her calf.
A wildebeest charges at a leopard after it tried to snatch her calf.
Image: Shaun Etsebeth.

A heart-stopping moment took place at the Kruger National Park, in Mpumalanga, recently where a leopard and warthogs tried to steal a sick, newborn wildebeest, but the mother was having none of it.

In a video shared by Latest Sightings on Tuesday, the leopard can be seen trying to snatch the newborn wildebeest before warthogs arrive and try to grab it for themselves.

The video was captured by 24-year-old Nadav Ossendryver, the founder of LatestSightings.com.

Ossendryver said he caught the incident on camera while he was with friends and on a mission to see wild dogs.

Ossendryver said at the wild dog sighting, they got a call from a ranger that a wildebeest calf was injured and there was a leopard hanging around.

“This sounded really interesting, and so we decided to go there and check it out,” he said.

“When we got there, the mother wildebeest was hanging around the calf and keeping guard on it. Vultures had started circling and landing near the scene.

“Next thing, we spotted the leopard walking towards the calf. As soon as the mother saw it, she gave charge. The leopard then ran right towards us and lay in the bushes.”

When the warthogs arrived on the scene, the wildebeest mom again got into protector mode and drove them away.


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