Wow! 5 mins in the Kruger…

From an email doing the rounds…

WOW!!!!

The astonishing scene of a leopard savaging a crocodile has been  caught for the first time on camera.

A series of amazing pictures were taken at the Kruger National Park in 2008. It’s thought to be the first known time that a leopard has tackled and overcome a crocodile.

The photographer, Hal Brindley, an American wildlife photographer,  was supposed to be taking pics  of hippos from his car during his trip to the South African game reserve.

The large leopard dashed out from nearby bushes where it had been under cover, and surprised the crocodile which was swimming nearby. A tremendous struggle followed in which onlookers were shocked to see the leopard drag the croc out of the water. The crocodile put up a huge fight…

…and the two animals did somersaults as they struggled, but although the croc’s weight and strength should have overcome the leopard, the cat got the upper hand by catching the crocodile by the throat.

Finally the leopard suffocated the crocodile by sitting on it! Crocodiles have been known to kill leopards, but this is the first known case where a leopard has been witnessed killing the large reptile.

According to Mr Brindley (the photographer)  “I asked many rangers in South Africa if they had ever heard of anything like this and they all said no.

“It just doesn’t make sense. The meat you get out of a crocodile is just not worth the risk it takes a predator to acquire. The whole scene happened in the course of about 5 minutes. Then the leopard was gone.

“I drove away, elated in disbelief. It may have been the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”