Curiosity almost killed this cat.
A leopard’s attempt at an easy meal failed horribly after a troop of 50 baboons joined in and removed its spots.
Footage of the interspecies mauling has racked up more than a million views online as wildlife fans praised the tiny primates for their bravery.
“At that moment, I realized I was witnessing something extraordinary,” accountant Ricky da Fonseca, 30, told Latest Sightings of the incredible moment, which he photographed during a safari in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, which appears be the true ground zero. for viral animal fighting videos.
The group had reportedly stopped at the south of the Tshokwane picnic site, where visitors usually stop for a mid-morning brunch or late afternoon snack.
They had been hunting lions they had seen before, but “the bush had something even more special in store for us,” Fonseca said.
“We pulled over to the side, surprised to see a male leopard strolling calmly on the side of the road,” the numbers expert recalled. “As he repositioned me to get a better angle, that’s when I noticed a troop of baboons playing on the road. This was getting exciting!
Since the troop had around 50 members, Fonseca initially thought there was no way the big cat would make a move, but then the predator’s “curiosity seemed to take over.”
“The leopard stealthily disappeared into the grass on the side of the road. “I was in full stalking mode,” Fonseca recalled. “As the leopard approached the baboons, anticipation was in the air.”
He continued: “Suddenly, with a burst of speed, the leopard jumped out of the grass in an attempt to catch one of the baboons off guard.”
The baboons give the leopard (right) the mother of all beatings. YouTube/Latest sightings
Accompanying footage shows the leopard stalking through the grass along the side of a car-lined road, its wiry body perfectly camouflaged against the undergrowth as it heads straight for the baboon army.
Then, suddenly, the beast pounces on the herd of apes, lunch seemingly within reach.
However, the creature’s dreams of eating some fast food are dashed when the gang of primates joins the beast and begins beating it into oblivion.
The video taken from a close-up angle shows the brave baboons harassing the leopard, before chasing it through the undergrowth, in the style of fed-up townspeople running a villain out of town in an old west.
“The charge was led by what seemed like the dominant male,” said Merve Mersinligil, 38, a pianist who filmed the second clip of the counterattack. He “jumped on the leopard almost like it was a rugby tackle, biting, punching and screaming like there was no tomorrow.”
Fonseca attributed the baboons’ success to the fact that they “reacted very quickly” and “attacked like a troop.”
“This disconcerted the leopard and they took advantage of the situation, surrounding it, screaming at it and biting it,” he said. “They showed no mercy at all.”
The baboons scare away the leopard. YouTube/Latest sightings
The leopard’s condition is unclear, however, Fonseca stated that it suffered some “bruises and cuts” and that its “ego was hurt more than its body.”
In other words, he personified the expression “bite off more than you can chew.”