Watch a Monkey Mistakenly Think He’s Safe in a Tree Away From a Leopard

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When we think of wild animal chases it’s easy for our minds to think of the intense lion, cheetah, and hyena hunts that happen on the wide open plains of Africa. The ones where the antelope and wildebeest are zig-zagging through the tall African grass trying to escape the jaws of death. 

However, sometimes the wild animal chases aren’t as traditional as the ones mentioned above. Sometimes they take place up in a tree. That’s right, you read that correctly, a wild animal chasing up a tree! Don’t miss the action in the video above. 

Leopard and Monkey Sighting in South Africa

This YouTube video posted at the top of this blog post takes us to the Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa. This game reserve is near the popular Kruger National Park. The Londolozi Game Reserve YouTube page shared this next video of a leopard and monkey sighting. Their most recent footage also shares animals like cubs, lions, and African wild dogs. 

Leopard Hunting Monkey in a Tree

As the video above starts, we see a wild chase already happening. A leopard has caught sight of a monkey and is hungry enough to attempt to go after it. However, before he can eat it, he has to be able to catch this monkey.

Monkeys have the unique ability to climb extremely fast and hop from branch to branch. For example, some monkeys, such as the spider monkey are able to reach up to speeds of 35 miles per hour when swinging from branch to branch. “Their light bodies make it easier for them to swing from tree to tree, a behaviour called brachiating.”

But, this leopard is up for the task and we see the leopard chase him up the tree, but each time the leopard gets to a branch, the monkey leaps to another. Even though this leopard is a master at climbing trees, he’s no match for this monkey’s ability to climb. However, what’s dangerous for this monkey, is that he can’t stay in this tree forever. So inevitably it will be eaten by this leopard.

What Monkeys Live in South Africa?

South Africa is home to monkeys such as the baboon, bushbaby, chacma baboon, gorilla, lesser bushbaby, and samango monkey. And perhaps one of the most popular is the vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) of the genus Chlorocebus. The vervet monkey lives solely in Africa. Their population is not known but it is of the least concern to the IUCN. 

Vervets are fast little guys that can run up to 30 miles per hour. Which to a leopard that can run up to 36 miles per hour, would certainly make this monkey nervous. However, as we can see their ability to run and hop from branch to branch is like none other.