A brave hare narrowly avoided being snatched by a stalking leopard as it bounded away mere seconds ahead of its predator.

Trishala Naidu was on a tour through Sabi Sand, South Africa, when she came across a leopard she knew - called Tlalamba - stalking through the bush.

Amazing footage - which has been viewed more than five million times online - shows the spotted predator zoned in on an almost invisible prey, padding carefully through the dry grass.

Suddenly a tiny grey scrub hare leapt out of the grass barely avoiding the encroaching leopard's paw as it came swinging down.

Trishala, from Cape Town, South Africa, said: "It was exciting to watch the interaction and the skills of both animals, but I don't usually take sides.

"The hare was so well camouflaged. I did know that it was there because she had been trying to get it for a while.

"I've known Tlalamba since she was about 10 months old. She is a wild leopard and I've just been following her for a long time so I know her well.

"She has a bit of a reputation for playing with her prey before she eventually eats it.

"Scrub hares have great camouflage. They're most active at night, and unlike rabbits, hares don't have burrows, so this great camouflage helps them to stay safe during the daylight hours.

"Their anti-predator strategy is to lie as still as possible until the last moment then quickly jump away and run in a zig-zag fashion.

"They're not easy to hunt because of how agile they are so it is usually an opportunistic hunt, and since a scrub hare is snack-sized it won't keep a leopard satiated for a long time."

A brave hare narrowly avoided being snatched by a stalking leopard as it bounded away mere seconds ahead of its predator.


Trishala Naidu was on a tour through Sabi Sand, South Africa, when she came across a leopard she knew - called Tlalamba - stalking through the bush.


Amazing footage - which has been viewed more than 5million times online - shows the spotted predator zoned in on an almost invisible prey, padding carefully through the dry grass.


Suddenly a tiny grey scrub hare leapt out of the grass barely avoiding the encroaching leopard's paw as it came swinging down.


Trishala, from Cape Town, South Africa, said: "It was exciting to watch the interaction and the skills of both animals, but I don't usually take sides.


"The hare was so well camouflaged. I did know that it was there because she had been trying to get it for a while.



"I've known Tlalamba since she was about 10 months old. She is a wild leopard and I've just been following her for a long time so I know her well.



"She has a bit of a reputation for playing with her prey before she eventually eats it.



"Scrub hares have great camouflage. They're most active at night, and unlike rabbits, hares don't have burrows, so this great camouflage helps them to stay safe during the daylight hours.



"Their anti-predator strategy is to lie as still as possible until the last moment then quickly jump away and run in a zig-zag fashion.



"They're not easy to hunt because of how agile they are so it is usually an opportunistic hunt, and since a scrub hare is snack-sized it won't keep a leopard satiated for a long time."


Trishala Naidu captured the moment a hare managed to escape a stalking leopard at the last moment in South Africa