Watch A Leopard And Monkey Face-Off In A High Stakes Game Of Tag

Key Points

• The Mashaba female is a leopard that lives in the Londolozi Private Game Reserve in South Africa.
• Their preferred hunting method is to ambush prey from their position in a tree so that their target is taken by surprise.
• Predator and prey run back and for but we learn that eventually, the monkey escaped.

Watching this mesmerizing clip could make you dizzy! It is the ultimate game of tag and it looks like it could go on forever! It features the Mashaba female chasing a monkey in the uppermost branches of a tree. Predator and prey run back and for but we learn that eventually, the monkey escaped.

The Mashaba Female Leopard

The Mashaba female is a leopard that lives in the Londolozi Private Game Reserve in South Africa. Londolozi comes from a Zulu word meaning ‘Protector Of All Living Things’ and it is one of the area’s original game reserves. The Sand River runs through it and it is in the heart of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve within the Greater Kruger National Park.

The Mashaba female is the reserve’s best-known leopard. She was born in 2008 and has raised several cubs of her own. This female is recognizable from the dark spot at the center of her nose and she is very comfortable having humans nearby. As she is no longer territorial, she now roams and is often seen in the riverine bush and bushwillow-covered hillsides. It is hoped that she may go on to have one more litter.

Leopards in Africa

Leopards are medium-sized members of the cat family native to areas of Africa and Asia. They are found in rainforests, on grassland and in mountainous regions and spend a lot of time in trees. As we see here, they have excellent balance and are very sure-footed even on high branches. These amazing hunters are agile and nimble enough to hunt in trees too – their long tail helps them to balance.

Leopards are known for their beautiful spotted coat which also helps to camouflage them. Their preferred hunting method is to ambush prey from their position in a tree so that their target is taken by surprise. Even though they are a very slender animal, they are strong enough to carry even large prey back up into a tree where they eat it.

When they are not chasing monkeys, they feed on hares, lizards, warthogs and birds. Because they tend to eat smaller prey and will eat a wide variety of different animals, they avoid competing with other larger ‘big cats’ and give themselves the best chance of survival.

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A lone leopard can be seen treading cautiously on what must once have been a river — and will likely be one again with the coming of rain. It pauses, realizing it is not alone, and withdraws. A hippo comes into view. Lethargic from the scorching heat, it drives the trespassing leopard backward, threatening a second time, for good measure.

The wild feline returns by nightfall when it is certain the hippo is likely to be enjoying a meal of fresh grass elsewhere. It moves towards the mud pool and we see what it was interested in — a large catfish. Its prey riggles in an attempt to free itself. But resistance is futile. Those jaws are clamped way too tight. At a point, the leopard seems to sink into the mud, but regains its balance and makes it away from the river bed with its meal.

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