Mother's courage: The moment a protective wildebeest mum left leopard after attacking her calf

Jaw-dropping shots were taken in Mara North Conservancy in Kenya Predator stalks and pounces on the seemingly doomed six-month-old calf But mother was well-placed to react quickly and saved young animal By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Defence: A young wildebeest looked destined to become lunch for a hungry leopard - but the big cat hadn't counted on a powerfully protective mother This young wildebeest looked destined to become lunch for a hungry leopard - but the big cat hadn't counted on a powerfully protective mother. These jaw-dropping shots show the predator stalking and then pouncing on the seemingly doomed six-month-old calf. However, its nearby mother was well-placed to react quickly and counteracted with a precision horned-headbutt to the leopard's upper body.

On the prowl: The hungry leopard spots its next lunch and skulks forward

Waiting: The animal stops to watch the pair before pouncing

Attack: The leopard launches forward and sinks its teeth into the baby wildebeest

Back to the rescue: As the leopard firmly grabs hold of the wildebeest its mother approaches

Protective: It's nearby mother is well-placed to react quickly and counteracted with a precision horned-headbutt to the leopard's upper body

Determined: The mother rams her horns into the predator lifting it into the air

Escape: The calf escapes to safety as the mother takes on the leopard

Terrified: The beast runs off in fright after the mauling as the younger animal escapes

Turn around: In a blink of an eye, the stunned cat went from being the attacker to scampering off with its tail between its legs with the angry female in pursuit source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2441449/Protective-wildebeest-mother-leaves-leopard-licking-wounds-failed-attack-calf.html My Facebook My Google+ Contact me

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Zoo 'tests baby leopards and tigers' natural reflexes' by throwing them a LIVE rabbit to play with

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Nervous: These tiger cubs seem not to know what to do when confronted with a rabbit You might think that tiger cubs would be hard-wired to go after their prey aggressively from an early age. But when these wild-beasts-in-training were presented with a juicy rabbit, their predatory instincts seemed to fail them. The white rabbit simply jumped around their enclosure, eluding their grasping paws as it outpaced them.

Escape: The rabbit's leaping abilities apparently enabled it to avoid a grisly fate The charming scenes took place at Qingdao Forestry Zoo in Shandong province in northern China. Zookeepers there put the rabbit in with the tiger and leopard cubs when they reached the age of two months.

Athletic: The rabbit's canny escape attempt seemed to outpace this leopard on the prowl They hoped to test how well developed the big cats' wild instincts were by seeing if they would be able to hunt down the rabbit. However, the intended prey was apparently able to escape the fierce animals' attention.

Success? One leopard cub got his teeth on the rabbit - but only managed to chomp on its ear

Stand-off: The tiger apparently tried intimidating the rabbit by giving it the hairdryer treatment The tiny tigers even seemed to shy away from the rabbit, though it was only a quarter of its size. Photographs of the chase show that the worst any of the predators was able to do was to grab hold of one of the rabbit's ears. The scene was presided over by a mother tiger, separated from the youngsters in another cage.

Playful: The big cats toyed with the rabbit but were not pictured going in for the kill

Disapproving: The mother tiger would have had no problems catching and eating the white rabbit source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2417494/Zoo-China-tests-tigers-reflexes-throwing-live-rabbit.html My Facebook My Google+ Contact me

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Yikes! Video captures squirrel's hilarious reaction as he realizes he's being stalked by a hungry leopard

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Just minding my own business: Footage shows the squirrel enjoying a treat one afternoon

A squirrel in the African wild was munching on a treat when he realized his was the object of a desire of A leopard on the prowl.
The tiny target flashed a look of fear and dropped his loot to make a run for it.
The confrontation was caught on video and the squirrel's 'Yikes!' moment is entertaining audiences the world over.

Forget this: The squirrel decides to drop his treat and scram

The incident occurred in the Kalahari desert in the southwest corner of Africa and was included in the first episode of a BBC One program on the African wildlife that aired in the UK on January 2.
Broadcaster David Attenborough narrated the episode and added a dramatic description to the chilling scene.

Predator: The leopard had its eye on the tiny prey but the squirrel made his escape

'Water is in short supply, yet these deserts are somehow full of life because the creatures that live here have turned the rules of survival on their head. This film celebrates nature's ingenuity, no matter how tough it gets,' according to a description of the program.
It appeared that the squirrel's quick response secured his escape and the leopard was forced to find his dinner elsewhere.

Outta here: The squirrel made a run for it



source: dailymail

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The leopard that was hard to spot: Stunning kill as impala runs straight towards camouflaged big cat

By ALEX WARD

The jaws of death came swift and fast for an unsuspecting impala as it galloped toward a feline predator waiting in the wings.
Blink and you would miss the gigantic leap a leopard made to ensnare the beast, flipping it high in the air as the leopard sunk its teeth into its neck.
Once on the ground, the impala twitched as the leopard held tighter and dragged it away for a tasty meal.

Jaws of death: A female leopard's patient wait was worth it as a herd of unsuspecting impala galloped towards her (she is crouched down on the left)

The incredible, cut-throat moment in the circle of life was captured by Martha van Rensburg and posted on YouTube where it has been viewed more than 938,000 times since it was posted on Tuesday.
Ms van Rensburg was on a predator safari in MalaMala, a game reserve between Kruger National Park and the Sabi Sand Wildtuin in South Africa when she captured the incredible moment according to a MalaMala blog.

Leopard leap: From crouching to flying, the leopard leapt up as the impala came close enough

The wilderness watchers spotted the well hidden female leopard and parked just five yards from it, waiting and watching for 30 minutes before a herd of skittish impala were spooked and ran start toward the predator on September 29.

Blink and miss it: The impala was flipped high in the air as the feline predator sunk her teeth into its neck in this video posted on YouTube and viewed more than 938,000 times since Tuesday

The blog said: ‘The wind was making the impala very skittish and even with sentries on the lookout, and one impala in particular looking directly at the leopard, they failed to see it.’
Leopards are some of the most secretive and elusive of the large carnivores, capable of killing prey bigger than themselves.
Cunning hunters, leopards’ prey ranges from fish, birds and mammals such as baboons, warthogs.
The smallest of the big four predator cats, lions and hyenas have been known to steal a leopard’s kill.
To conserve their prey, leopards often store their larger kills in trees where they can feed on them in relative safety.

Midair catch: The leopard's jaws locked down on the impala's neck as the animals were flipped from the impact



source: dailymail

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Can you spot the difference? Rare twin Amur Leopards are born at a British wildlife sanctuary

By CRAIG MACKENZIE


Top cats: The twin Amur Leopard cubs who were born last month at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent

It is not surprising you can't spot the the difference between these two adorable cubs. They are twin Amur Leopards who have been born to the rarest big cat in the world at an animal sanctuary in Britain.
The breed is near extinction - with only 35 left in the wild and just 100 in captivity - so workers were thrilled with the new arrivals at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Smarden, Kent.
They were born last month to dad Hogar, four, and mum Xizi, seven, who arrived at the sanctuary in 2009 from Helsinki Zoo in Finland.
The cubs have not been named and are still too young to sex, but staff are making a big fuss of them after watching the births live on CCTV.
Shockingly, there are only six recorded female Amur Leopards living in the wild with reproduction proving to a be a major factor in conservation efforts.

Just the two of us: The cubs are so rare there are only 100 Amur Leopards in captivity

Cute: The breed is near extinction due to the destruction of their habitat and illegal trade in pelts

Mother and baby: There are only six recorded female Amur Leopards in the wild with reproduction proving to be a factor in their dwindling numbers

Head Keeper, Rebecca Porter, said: 'The introduction of a mate is a very risky process that can potentially lead to the male killing the female.
'But we gradually introduced Xizi to Hogar, in an adjacent enclosure back in February.
'It soon became obvious that they were very keen on each other through the wire. So when we opened the gate between them, they hit it off immediately.

Sleepy: Animal workers watched the twin Leopard cubs being born live on CCTV


Adorable: The cubs are too young to be sexed and have yet to be named after being born last month

The main cause of the cat's demise in the wild is deforestation along with poaching for the pelt trade.
Rebecca added: 'Being able to watch the two cubs being born on CCTV was an amazing experience, there aren't any words to describe the feeling you get when you see such important animals being born.
'It means all the dedication and hard work by both the staff and volunteers has been worthwhile.'

source: dailymail

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Wild leopard mauls 13 people on day-long rampage in Indian oil compound

By SUZANNAH HILLS

Attacked: A man wrestles with a leopard as a forest official tries to catch it with a net in Duliajan near Dibrugarh in Assam state

A wild leopard was shot dead after injuring 13 people during a day-long rampage in a company compound near an Indian village.
The fully grown male leopard managed to get inside the Oil India Limited field headquarters campus at Duliajan in the Dibrugarh district where he attached several staff members.
The shocking photos show the animal attacking an Oil security guard after he tried to rescue his colleague. Forest guards were called to the scene and eventually managed to shoot the animal with a tranquillizer but were forced to shoot it dead when the drug didn't take effect.

Trespasser: The animal was found hiding inside a residential campus in the India Oil compound where it attacked 13 people

P Shiv Kumar, divisional forest officer of Digboi forest division, said: 'We were informed about a leopard straying into a bungalow of an Oil executive on Sunday morning.
'I accompanied a team of veterinary doctors from the Centre for Rehabilitation and Conservation of the Wildlife Trust of India to the spot.
'By the time we got there, the leopard had attacked five people. We tried to tranquillize the leopard, but it got agitated - which is normal before sedatives takes effect - and pounced on the large crowd gathered at the spot.

Put down: The fully grown male leopard was shot dead by forest officials after tranquillizer drugs failed to take effect

'The security personnel were left with no option but to shoot it.'
A forest official said leopards were often spotted on the Oil campus because of its proximity to the Joypore reserve forest.
Another leopard was caged by the forest department in neighbouring Sivasagar district early this morning.
In the Sivasagar incident, the forest department managed to capture a female leopard from Serekapar early this morning.
Sivasagar divisional forest officer Ranjan Das said: 'At least four leopards have been sighted in the area in the past few days. The leopard family had killed several cattle in the area, as such we have placed a cage using a goat as a bait.'
He said the female leopard was later released at Abhayapur reserve forest and officers were trying to track down the remaining leopards.

source: dailymail

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Seemples! Leopard surprises safari-goers as it stands on its back legs like a meerkat to stalk its dinner

By LAWRENCE CONWAY

Curious: The leopard raised herself on her haunches at the game reserve in South Africa

This loping leopard in a game reserve raises herself up on her haunches in a remarkable impersonation of a meerkat.
The big cat moved into the unusual standing position to peer over long grass after it spotted some gazelle. The predator remained bolt upright for a few moments before her would-be prey got spooked and ran off.
The bizarre moment was caught on camera by safari guide Anton Walker at the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve in South Africa.
Mr Walker took the picture when the big cat made the meerkat pose, amusing those who were on the safari.
The guide, from Beyond Kirkmans Kamp safaris, said: 'This young female leopard was walking down the road, scent marking, when she heard three impala in the distance.
'She then got up into a comfortable position to peer over the long grass to get a better look at them

Original: Two meerkats in Botswana scanning the horizon, demonstrating their famed raised upright pose

'They however ran off and so she missed the opportunity to hunt them. She then continued to walk and she found a tree to climb up into and rest.
'Later that afternoon she was found with a kill so she was eventually successful with her hunting.'
The Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve is a privately owned area bordering the Kruger National Park.
It is renowned for leopard viewing in the area due to the relaxed nature of the animals.

Familiar: A stance more commonly associated with leopards than up on its hind legs like a meerkat

source: dailymail

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Don't play with your food: What happened when a leopard befriended a cute baby antelope? (Actually, you probably don't want to know)

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Fearless: The baby Steenbok wanders away from the leopard but the big cat doesn't take her eyes off her prey

It may look like one of nature's heartwarming interactions but the outcome sadly does not have a happy ending.
This at first apparently playful encounter between leopard and newborn steenbok (part of the antelope family) was captured by a safari guide in the Sabi Sand Game reserve, in South Africa.
The big cat seemed to want to make friends with the calf for 45 minutes and the small creature was so unafraid of the predator it even tried to suckle milk from it.
But then nature opened up its powerful claw and the leopard decided playing with the Bambi lookalike was probably not as much fun as eating it. In a flash, he killed the newborn, which had foolishly ventured out into the brush after being hidden in a nearby bush by its terrified mother, who was powerless to intervene.
Safari guide, Marius Croetzee, 30, from Durban, was travelling by Land Rover he and his clients witnessed nature at its most heart-wrenching from only six yards away.

The large leopard played with the calf for 45 minutes and the small creature was so unafraid of the predator it even tried to suckle milk from it

Marius said: 'I got a call over the radio that a female leopard were located close to the lodge and that she was busy stalking.
'The mother stashed the lamb in thick scrub while feeding nearby, when it was caught she ran away for her own safety.
'It is not uncommon for a leopard to make more than one kills if the opportunity presents itself.

The calf's terrified mother was powerless to intervene and stop the baby being killed and eaten

'Upon arriving at the scene I witnessed the leopard sitting with the steenbok in her paws. The lamb was new born and completely oblivious to the danger it was in.
'It had no fear, and at one stage even tried to suckle from the female leopard. This was a first for me in and in more than 12 years of safari guiding I have not seen it again
'People were absolutely amazed and felt sad, but they realised that this is nature in its rawest form.'

The leopard eventually got bored and killed the calf, which was only hours old

source: dailymail

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Pregnant young woman suffers horrific injuries as leopard attacks her in middle of bustling city

By TOM GARDNER

Caged: The fully grown leopard is now kept safely at Assam state Zoo following capture after it had mauled two people in Lalunggaon in Lakhara area of Guwahati.

A pregnant woman suffered serious injuries after being badly mauled by a leopard in India - the third such attack there in as many weeks.
The big cat clamped its jaws around Akila Bibi's head and arms, leaving her with deep wounds to her scalp, after it when it strayed into the largest city the country's north-east Assam state.
The woman, who is in her early twenties, is currently recovering in hospital. Her unborn child, due in three months, was unharmed by the ordeal.

Savaged: Akila Bibi, who is in her 20s, is being treated for serious injuries after being attacked by a leopard in Guwahati

Her husband, labourer Abid Ali, said his wife lost a lot of blood and was unconscious. He said: ‘The back of her scalp was badly mauled.’
The leopard caused panic when it wandered into a densely populated residential neighbourhood in Guwahati.
The wild cat also pounced on a 20-year-old man during the same attack.
Moziz Haq suffered head injuries.
Speaking from his hospital bed, he told AFP news agency: ‘It was a thumping, slap-like feeling and I fell on the ground with blood splattered all over me’.
The animal was later tranquilised by forest officials and taken to a city zoo.

Mauled: Mafij Ali, 21, sustained deep wounds during the third attack in Guwahati, western India, this month

It was the third leopard attack in Guwahati this month.
In a gruesome incident captured on camera, three people were injured and one killed by a leopard on January 7. Three people were hurt in another attack last week.
Thousands of people are attacked by wild animals in India each year, with tigers, leopards, elephants and snakes the most dangerous.
Conservationists say an increasing number of wild animals are appearing in towns and cities because of urban and industrial encroachment on their natural habitat.

source: dailymail

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Amazing moment a passer-by in Indian city was scalped by a ferocious jungle leopard... and lived to tell the tale

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Panic: the leopard strays into a home and takes a swipe at a man trying to capture it

A fully grown leopard attacked and injured four people after it strayed into a residential area in the north-east Indian city of Guwahati today.
The locals were seriously wounded by the leopard after it ran into a house on the busy Nabagraha Road in a central residential neighbourhood of Silphukhuri.
An auto rickshaw driver managed to cage the panicked leopard inside the house, which was kept locked until forest department officials arrived and sedated the animal.

Piece of the action: Photographers and onlookers crowd to see the transquilised animal as it is taken to away for observation at Assam State Zoo

Eyewitness Nipu Das said: "We were simply shocked and stunned to find the leopard inside the house and soon the cat started attacking."
One of the injured was admitted to hospital with injuries to his head and face.
The leopard was taken for observation at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati.
"We believe the cat strayed into the area from a nearby hillock, maybe in search of food," a forest department official said.
The hills around Guwahati are covered in dense jungle.
Large areas of the jungle have been cleared to make way for the construction of houses.
But that has led to an increase in attacks by wild animals as creatures that lived in the jungle have lost their habitat and their food sources.

Caught: the leopard is taken to Assam state zoo. Attacks by wild animals have increased as nearby jungle has been cut down

source: dailymail

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Zookeeper feeds a leopard cat kitten in the wildlife rescue center at the Phnom Tamao zoo.

Zookeeper Sar Roeun feeds a leopard cat kitten in the wildlife rescue center at the Phnom Tamao zoo near Phnom Penh November 2, 2011. Local media reported that three female leopard cat kittens, which were handed over to the centre on October 12, 2011, were discovered by a fisherman in a flooded area of Kandal province three weeks ago. One has since died.



Zookeeper Sar Roeun feeds a leopard cat kitten in the wildlife rescue center at the Phnom Tamao zoo near Phnom Penh November 2, 2011





Zookeeper Sar Roeun holds a leopard cat kitten during a feeding session in the wildlife rescue center at the Phnom Tamao zoo near Phnom Penh November 2, 2011.



Two leopard cat kittens play in a cage in the wildlife rescue center at the Phnom Tamao zoo near Phnom Penh November 2, 2011.



Two leopard cat kittens play in a cage in the wildlife rescue center at the Phnom Tamao zoo near Phnom Penh November 2, 2011. Local media reported that three female leopard cat kittens, which were handed over to the centre on October 12, 2011, were discovered by a fisherman in a flooded area of Kandal province three weeks ago. One has since died.



source: daylife

photo: Reuters pictures

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