A lone leopard chased a cheetah mum away from her hard-fought meal for her and her five kids.

Thabiso Molatlhegi was leading a tour through the Okavango Delta, Botswana, when he came across a family of cheetahs on an impala kill.

Dramatic footage captured the moment the mother went to confront a leopard hiding in nearby bushes.

Despite bravely standing up to the leopard, the cheetah was forced to flee three times as its opponent’s strength advantage proved too overwhelming.

Thabiso said: “I was totally blown away so flabbergasted I couldn’t believe my eyes it really took me a while to digest what happened.

“I’ve been a guide for four years and grown up around these animals all my life but I have never seen them interact like this before.

“It’s very rare to come across such an interaction, this was simply a once in a lifetime experience.

“According to the predator hierarchy leopards are more superior more dominant than cheetahs.

“Yes cheetahs are bigger in size in terms of shoulder height and length from head to tail but leopards are heavier with a more muscular body and immense strength.

“Initially the cheetah mom with her cubs caught the impala but then the leopard came and took over their meal. The whole encounter lasted for about 15 minutes.”