A guide in South Africa has captured rare footage showing a leopard traveling directly beneath his group’s safari vehicle to avoid altering its course.
“This leopard decided to pass not around, but right underneath us!” Marlon du Toit exclaimed last week via Instagram. “Unbelievable!”
Tourists express disbelief as the stealthy feline disappears briefly beneath the vehicle before emerging on the other side, ignoring their presence.
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“Under the car…” astonished guests mutter, one after another.
The encounter occurred in Mala Mala Game Reserve, which is sandwiched between Kruger National Park and the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve.
Du Toit explained that wild animals in Mala Mala are accustomed to vehicles and their occupants, as long as occupants remain on the vehicles and maintain their composure.
“It’s also well known that smart, habituated leopards will use the cars and the sounds they make during hunts, to get closer to prey,” du Toit stated.
The guide added, half-jokingly: “Leopards that are so at ease with Mala Mala game viewers that they don’t mind going underneath, instead of around.”
