Leopard & Warthog Standoff

by Allen Adams
(Midrand)

The leopard and warthog standoff was the best 90minutes I have ever had in the park!

We arrived with 1 warthog in this mud hole (on the S130 between S137 and the H4-2) at 10:30 and parked so we could both use our camera?s - one in front and one in back of the vehicle.

Just then 2 White rhino arrived and started going into the mud. Then another 3 white rhino arrived and a small contest as to who had rights to the mud ensued all the while other warthogs were coming and going. I then noticed that the only other car there had a Canon lens pointed towards some bushes and I saw he was watching a leopard in the bush! The leopard moved to where I photographed him. At this point the rhino?s took fright and ran off, leaving 1 warthog in the mud who I thought was history.

But the single hog got out the mud and went into the bush unscathed, only for more hogs to arrive!

The a small herd of implala arrived which got the leopard's attention. When the implala were about to drink one of them spotted the leopard and started to ?bark? giving the warning to all of them who made off into the bush. As it happened more warthogs arrived and they had also been alerted to the leopard by the impala and proceeded to walk up to the leopard and sort of challenge him to a fight as they had numbers on their side and some big tusks.

By now it was midday and we had to get back to berg en dal and to Lower Sabie to use the loo so we had to go - leaving us wondering what eventually happened!?