A group of people at the MalaMala Game Reserve saw more action than they expected to when they saw a leopard attack an impala in front of their vehicle.
Martha van Rensburg toured the reserve with a group, mounting her GoPro camera on the hood of the car, reports GrindTV . The noticed a leopard hiding and waiting for a group of impalas across the road, looking nervous.
The tourists were treated to a rare view, as the impalas suddenly ran toward the leopard. The leopard jumped and caught one of the impalas in mid-air.
While the leopard kill was unexpected, van Rensurg was able to slow the video down so that it shows the leopard attacking the impala in slow motion, notes Gather .
MalaMala’s website states that about 70 leopards are seen on the reserve each month and they are usually nocturnal, but they can be active during the day. The leopard on the video was actually taking a nap while he was waiting for the impalas to cross, according to observers. Van Rensburg recalled:
“It happened so fast but I was lucky enough to get this video and a still photo of the leopard and impala in the air.”
These kinds of movements are rarely captured on film or in photos, because of the time that’s normally required to witness one. The group spotted the animals and waited quietly for 30 minutes before the impalas were spooked.
Ian Weatherburn, who joined van Rensburg and her husband, recalled that the impalas, who were already skittish before they were spooked, “unfortunately had not detected the leopard’s presence at all during this time.” Weatherburn added, however, that:
“But of course the leopard was giving 100 percent attention when the moment came, and the impalas ran straight into him.It was over in a flash.”
Check out the video below to see the leopard attack the impala:
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