What happens when an Africa marthly male leopard crosses over the Sand River, out of his usual domain in the north and kills an unlucky female baboon?
Marthly Male with baboon kill – Talley Smith
It seem as though the Marthly Male, or Tyson as he is affectionately known, had taken it upon himself to regulate the baboon population, leaving his territory with purpose and ignoring the abundance of easier prey in camp such as bushbuck and nyala. After all, baboons are no friends of leopards: they often spot them with their unbelievable eyesight and give away their presence to potential prey with deep alarm barks. They have also been known to kill small cubs found unattended.
This particular morning, we heard the alarm calls of the baboons in the early hours, and went out to find a carcass hoisted in a prominent marula tree just south of camp, like a flag with its raiser sitting proudly beneath. Above is the footage we got as he climbed the tree, fed on the carcass, and then brought it down. He would eventually move it to a more shady and secure location, clearly having decided the message had been received.
Written, Filmed and Photographed by Talley Smith
