A squirrel finds itself in a dangerous place when it gets stuck in a tree with a leopard, but the chase ends in a twist most wouldn’t expect. Instead of fleeing the scene, the squirrel ended up playing with the leopard and seizing the big cat.
Piet Van Wyk, head ranger at South Africa’s MalaMala Private Game Reserve, was on safari when he shot the video, which was shared on YouTube by Latest Sightings. The leopard, as it happened, was busy chasing a squirrel that was running from one branch to another on the apple tree.
The squirrel could barely contain his excitement as the leopard crept closer, his muscles tense and his gaze fixed. Just as the big cat approached, the squirrel shot up the tree and took off along the bark with amazing speed.
The squirrel danced on the branches, full of impudence and spirit. At one point he froze right in front of the leopard’s nose, perfectly still and camouflaged. Confused, the leopard looked away for movement.
Seizing the moment, the squirrel took off and relished her clever escape from the powerful predator. Against the odds, the leopard refused to give up, caught in a vortex of playful frustration as the squirrel expertly led her in a wild dance through the trees.
