Viewing animals in the wild can be the highlight of any nature experience, but to encounter a wild fight between two big cats is sure to give an adrenaline rush. One such video of two leopards going at each other is doing rounds on the internet.
This amazing video captured a once in a lifetime moment as two leopards’ falling from a tree during a mid-air tussle. The incident took place in the Kruger National Park in South Africa and was caught on camera by wildlife photographer Lisl Moolman.
The video footage shared by Moolman shows mother leopard Moya standing at the base of the tree and her cub Amira, sitting atop of a tree branch. Moya looks up to see her daughter Amira in the branches above, growling at each other. Suddenly Moya leaps up the tree in few quick paces to attack her daughter who was perched-up.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9014757/Claws-Two-leopards-fall-tree-mid-air-fight-Kruger-National-Park-South-Africa.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline
The pair begin to fight which causes them to fall to the ground. They were rolling in a mid-air tussle and despite their fall from the tree. The mother-daughter duo did not break their fight and the pair continued to fight while rolling on the ground even after landing. After their brief but shocking fight in the dirt, Moya and Amira disengage and lie on their backs in what seems like catching their breath.
However, the daughter is first to rise and having won against her mother she walks away triumphantly. Before leaving she marks her scent at the same tree the pair had just tumbled from and walks away over the tree.
According to Moolman, the reason for their skirmish was, Moya and Amira had both been mated with a new male in the area. And such rivalry is common among big cats. 'Different dynamics began to play a role in their normally amicable relationship,’ he said.
The Leopard is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera. They are graceful and powerful big cats and closely relate to other big cat species like the lions, tigers and jaguars. They are mostly found in sub-Saharan Africa and small parts of Western and Central Asia including India and China.