In the once-in-a-lifetime footage filmed near Satara in Kruger National Park and recorded by a young, 12-year-old visitor, a wildebeest mother and her calf face off against a leopard. The video opens with the leopard hovering over the already injured calf.
But the mother wildebeest refuses to give up.
It charges at the leopard and actually scares it off at first. It then desperately tries to force its calf to walk or at least stand.
At one point, it even launches the calf in the air as a way to revive it. The mother can be seen trying to decide between its own safety and the safety of the young calf.
It is joined at times by another wildebeest, which is not surprising considering they are usually found in herds of up to 100 individuals.
The leopard eventually comes back into frame and takes hold of the calf again.
You might find yourself rooting for the wildebeest mother and her calf, but we have to remember that the leopard needs food to eat too. Typically, only one in every 6 calves survive their first year.
Video:
Filmed by by Muhammed Gardee on the H1-3 near Satara in the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
