A leopard outsmarted a hyena to get back up a tree where he had stashed an impala kill in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Upon his return from a drink of water, the male leopard found a hyena guarding the bottom of the tree.

The video shows the male leopard sitting down a few meters away from the tree, staring at the hyena.

“We could see that this cat was now strategizing and calculating his next daring move to get back up into the tree while avoiding confrontation at all costs,” the filmer said.

Hyenas are bigger and stronger than leopards. In a one-on-one battle, the leopard wouldn’t stand a chance. The leopard, on the other hand, is a very smart cat and their agility in unmatched.

Suddenly, the big cat charges the hyena with a growl, and the hyena unexpectedly gets a fright and moves away from the tree.

Like lightning, the male leopard was back up in the tree.

The hyena, joined by a second one, quickly came running back to the tree only to realize that they have been outsmarted by the leopard.

The hyenas were back to patiently waiting under the tree, hoping for pieces of meat to eventually fall down as the leopard feeds on his meal.

The video was recorded during a safari in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. We were lucky enough to come across a fascinating encounter between a male leopard and a hyena. These two predator species have been locked in one of the oldest rivalries in the African bush. The leopard had an impala kill stashed up in the tree. On his return from a drink of water, the male leopard found one hyena guarding the bottom of the tree. The video shows the male leopard sitting down a few meters away from the tree, staring at the hyena. We could see that this cat was now strategizing and calculating his next daring move to get back up into the tree while avoiding confrontation at all costs. Hyenas are bigger and stronger than leopards. In a one on one battle this leopard will not stand a chance. The leopard on the other hand is a very smart cat and their agility in unmatched. Suddenly the big cat charges the hyena with a growl and the hyena unexpectedly gets a fright and moves away from the tree. Like lightning the male leopard was back up in the tree. The hyena, joined by a second one, quickly came running back to the tree only to realize that they have been outsmarted by this leopard. The hyenas were back to patiently waiting under the tree, hoping for pieces of meat to eventually fall down as the leopard feeds on his meal.