The full story can be read at the Telegraph.co.uk, though we would be keen to point out that they have over-dramatised this as a unique event, since it has actually happened before. More about that later - lets just enjoy the pics.
Apparently, the Leopard raced out of cover to attack the Crocodile, who was swimming nearby. The Leopard dragged the Crocodile from the water and they battled for a while, before the Leopard actually sat on top of it and suffocated it. The Crocodile was never able to fight back properly, as the Leopard had gotten hold of it around the throat.
Now, back to an earlier point I made - this was claimed by most of the newspapers that this was the first time this has ever been recorded, but I would point you to some further evidence of this happening in the past.
Exhibit 1 - A Youtube video claiming to be from 1999, posted on Youtube on 5th Feb 2007. This shows a Leopard doing exactly the same thing as above.
Exhibit 2 - A Youtube video showing a Tigress killing a Crocodile, also posted up on 5th Feb 2007.
Exhibit 3 - A Youtube video showing a Jaguar killing (albeit a smaller version) a Cayman Crocodile. This was posted up on 1st Nov 2006.
We have only uncovered one instance of a Leopard killing a Crocodile, but the others point to a pattern that shows that the big cats are not scared to tackle any creature, even if it is a more powerful beast - providing they can do so on their own terms (in the above cases, they wanted the fight to be on dry land). We also came across a few older clips of Crocodiles killing large cats too, but generally in the water, where they are the masters.
Still, newspapers and their headlines aside - this was one hell of a photographic opportunity for Hal, who was only supposed to be observing Hippo’s Well done on the photo’s, and we would definitely recommend that you view the complete collection (some 34 pics in all) at Hal’s own site.
