The Leopard Vs. The Crocodile

In the wild, both leopards and the crocodiles are dangerous predators. While the crocodiles are known to attack and kill leopards, a reversal in roles has never been encountered until recently, when the two were seen battling it out at a Game Reserve in South Africa .

That's because, crocodiles have very little meat for the leopards to feed on, so killing them is not worth taking the risk it involves, especially since the tables could turn easily, with the leopard becoming the prey.

The pictures taken by American Wildlife photographer, Hal Brindley are believed to be the only time this kind of attack has been caught on camera. Hal said he and a number of other tourists had been busy taking pictures of hippos at the Kruger National Park, when they saw something darting from the bushes and going into the water.

To their astonishment, a few minutes later, a leopard emerged, dragging a crocodile, with its mouth. During the whole event, which lasted about five minutes, the crocodile kept trying to get away, but the leopard had a firm hold on its neck.

Then, despite being much smaller, the leopard managed to strangle the crocodile to death. It then dragged its prey into the bushes, away from the prying tourists and their cameras.

Park Rangers, who have been in the area for several years, say they have never seen such an attack and are still scratching their heads as to why the leopard did it. Whatever the reason, it made for some great pictures!

Source:Telegraph.co.uk, DailyMail.co.uk