Rare moment thirsty leopard ignores prey to share waterhole in India
- 4 years ago
Two wildlife activists captured the incredibly rare moment predator and prey shared a waterhole side by side.
Dhiraj Kapoor and Dhirendra K Godha were on a routine visit to Jhalana Leopard Reserve in Jaipur in northern India on July 2 when they came across the stunning incident.
“Leopards are shy animals; they will go away if they see any humans around. So we stood at a distance to let him drink in peace,” said Kapoor of the Jhalana Leopard Monitoring Committee.
Then a fully grown male nilgai, also know as a blue bull, came along, and ignoring the presence of both humans, started lapping up water just a few feet away from the leopard.
After having its fill, the blue bull lifted its head abruptly, and the startled leopard quietly moved away.
Although leopards in Jhalana prey on smaller animals like peacocks and monkeys, they also hunt nilgai calves. While adult nilgais are strong and do not fall prey easily, just the sighting of a leopard is enough to alarm the herd and send them fleeing.
“But it was a hot summer day (45-47C), and it was hard to find water. The blue bull was looking so thirsty it didn’t care if there were humans or leopards. Water is worth the risk,” said Godha of the State Wildlife Board Rajasthan.
“Leopards are afraid of getting injured. So it made a smart decision and moved away,” Godha continued.
JhalanaLeopard Reserve, a 21-square-kilometre forest region in the heart of Jaipur city, is home to about 25 leopards.
“But we had never seen a leopard and a blue bull sharing a waterhole in the 15 years we have worked here. It was a rare moment in natural history,” added Kapoor.
Dhiraj Kapoor and Dhirendra K Godha were on a routine visit to Jhalana Leopard Reserve in Jaipur in northern India on July 2 when they came across the stunning incident.
“Leopards are shy animals; they will go away if they see any humans around. So we stood at a distance to let him drink in peace,” said Kapoor of the Jhalana Leopard Monitoring Committee.
Then a fully grown male nilgai, also know as a blue bull, came along, and ignoring the presence of both humans, started lapping up water just a few feet away from the leopard.
After having its fill, the blue bull lifted its head abruptly, and the startled leopard quietly moved away.
Although leopards in Jhalana prey on smaller animals like peacocks and monkeys, they also hunt nilgai calves. While adult nilgais are strong and do not fall prey easily, just the sighting of a leopard is enough to alarm the herd and send them fleeing.
“But it was a hot summer day (45-47C), and it was hard to find water. The blue bull was looking so thirsty it didn’t care if there were humans or leopards. Water is worth the risk,” said Godha of the State Wildlife Board Rajasthan.
“Leopards are afraid of getting injured. So it made a smart decision and moved away,” Godha continued.
JhalanaLeopard Reserve, a 21-square-kilometre forest region in the heart of Jaipur city, is home to about 25 leopards.
“But we had never seen a leopard and a blue bull sharing a waterhole in the 15 years we have worked here. It was a rare moment in natural history,” added Kapoor.