Leopard Drops Impala and Falls from Tree

We shared an unforgettable 2 days of sightings with this beautiful young female leopard near Shingwedzi Camp in the Kruger National Park. She is approximately 2 years old and very recently independent of her mother.

She took down a large adult impala ewe on a windy day and dragged it to the base of a big mopane tree where she wanted to hoist it to safety. What followed was a truly fascinating study of leopard behavior. It was especially interesting watching the youngster trying to solve her problem while figuring out how to become the ultimate leopard.

She showed immense strength and perseverance as she tried numerous times to hoist the heavy impala, falling out of the tree on a few occasions. She was extremely anxious the whole time and was very lucky that no spotted hyenas or other predators arrived to steal her meal.