So a leopard walks into a restaurant…
When you dine out at a restaurant in Hollywood, you might bump into a celebrity or two. When you go to a restaurant in South Africa, you might encounter a leopard.
This incredible video captures the intense moment a leopard entered a lodge’s restaurant, and walked amongst the guests in pursuit of a large antelope it had been stalking.
Watch:
This sighting was filmed at Singita Ebony Lodge by 39-year old Erika Wiese.
“The leopard was seen stalking a bushbuck in the riverbed in front of the lodge earlier. Singita’s staff is well-trained to deal with encounters of this kind and have strict safety protocols in place to ensure the safety of both staff and guests in these situations, we were, therefore, able to remain calm, silent and in awe of the beautiful creature that was so close to us,” Wiese said.
After an exciting several minutes, the leopard sauntered off in pursuit of its prey.
“We felt complete awe, reverence, respect and gratitude. What a rare experience to have such an encounter with a leopard,” Weise recounted.
Leopards are powerful big cats, with adult females weighing between 60 and 100 pounds and males weighing between 80 and 150 pounds. These felines are the most widely distributed of all the wild cats, and can be found in Sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China.
Leopards prefer medium-sized prey — like bushbucks — but are capable of taking down fairly large animals. One reportedly killed an eland weighing nearly 2,000 pounds.
