As one would expect, the nomadic Ntomi Male has been moving around a lot more in the last few weeks than he previously was. We set off in search of him early one morning and sheer luck would have it we simply stumble across him sitting on the edge of a waterhole fixated on something beneath him in the water.
His gaze was transfixed as a hippo was in the waterhole below him.
A single cub of the Ximungwe Female's second litter. Initially rather skittish but is very relaxed now. Birth mark in his left eye.
All we could see in the waterhole was a large female hippo wallowing in the small waterhole below him. She too, was well aware of this young leopard’s presence. Moments later, a tiny newborn hippo sprung to the surface for a brief moment before disappearing again below the surface. The mother was concerned as this leopard continued to carefully watch their movements. The hippo continued to nudge this tiny hippo through the water as they moved across the waterhole further away from the Ntomi Male.
This mother hippo kept nudging the young calf to the surface while keeping a watchful eye on the leopard on the bank.
As they moved towards the other end of the waterhole the Ntomi Male slowly stalked along the water’s edge before disappearing into the nearby thickets.
Ranger Tayla Brown and tracker Geshom with their guests, watched from the other side as the Ntomi Male edged his way closer.
We soon realized this calf must have been born at some point that morning when the mother walked out of the water. The tiny hippo trying to follow its mother out of the water was unable to walk just yet and so fell over a number of times. In fact, what we were seeing was some of the very first steps it could have ever taken on land. With the mother noticeably agitated with the presence of a leopard around, we parked our vehicle on the other side of the waterhole to not add any stress or pressure on the mother from our side. The Ntomi Male was still close by to the hippo but neither of us could see him.
The hippo calf tried to walk up the bank but struggled to keep up with its mother who kept returning to the tiny calf. After a few stumbles, it got to a small gully where all of a sudden the Ntomi male crept behind and grabbed the hind of this newborn hippo calf.
Within seconds the mother hippo turned and charged at the leopard as the hippo calf lay helplessly. The Ntomi Male ran off into the bush with the charging hippo behind him. As soon as she could the hippo mother turned and went straight back to her calf and led it over a small hill and down towards another nearby waterhole.
With no sign of the Ntomi Male, we looped to the next waterhole to find that the calf and mother had safely made it to the shallow part of the next waterhole. Moments later the curious Ntomi Male appeared once more as he cautiously remained on the banks of the next waterhole.
After being chased by the hippo the Ntomi Male slowly reappeared from the thickets to once more observe the hippo calf and mother from the safety of the thick bushes surrounding the waterhole.
After some time the hippo and calf sought refuge in a small shallow bay of the waterhole. After being born in the shallows of a waterhole, the hippo calf will spend most of its time in the water, where it will suckle unwater and after about a week will be able to then follow its mother when she heads off at night to graze. During this time the mother hippo will remain with the calf nudging it to the surface to help it take another breath.
If you look carefully at the bank you can see the Ntomi Male still keeping a close eye on the hippo calf.
The Ntomi Male eventually found a concealed spot where he watched the hippos from behind a branch. When the mother hippo would look towards him he would lie flat to hide from it. It was unlikely that this young leopard would be able to successfully catch this hippo calf but with time and experience, he would soon realize that this would be an unlikely hunt for him.
We left this mother and calf with the Ntomi male lurking in the thickets until returning the next morning to find the mother and calf still in the bay, where they were then seen for a few more days after that. It seems the Ntomi Male finally lost interest and the little hippo calf and although an unsuccessful hunt for him it is certainly a good learning experience as he learns the art of hunting.
Wow incredible story!!!!
WOWSA, what a unique sighting. So fortunate to see such a young calf and watch its mama take such good care of it. Hopefully the leopard will move on to easier prey. Hopefully the hippo is not easily caught in its claws and jaws.
What a unique sighting! I’m glad the hippo calf was ok, and the the Ntomi didn’t meet his end with the mother.
Hi Kirst! What an amazing sighting that was for you and guests. That little hippo calf was so tiny and normally wouldn’t have had a chance of survival had it not been for its mom that moved into action quickly, dashing Ntomi’s hopes for a meal. Perhaps he learned a lesson here…. I noticed that in the guest sightings box, it reads that I’ve not seen him and we know that isn’t true. Who do I contact? Happy winter and keep warm!
What a sighting! To see such a tiny, newborn hippo is already amazing. And to see a leopard attacking it, even more so. Luckily the mother was able to chase him away. If it had been a more experienced leopard, could he have taken the baby?
Thanks Christa, a newborn hippo calf weighs around 30-60kg which is definitely light enough for a male leopard to catch, but with the mother close by it would still be a challenge for it to get it away from its mother.
amazing to me that so soon after being born that little hippo is keeping his head up over the water! happy for the baby and that Ntomi didn’t learn a hard lesson!
Note to Ntomi – always check the size of the mother first! I bet he was also surprised at the speed of an adult hippo, lucky to get away safely.
For my wife and me it was an unforgettable experience to see this scene live. Thank you for the well written story. We are very happy that the hippo calf survived the attack.
Karl & Delia
An incredible sighting indeed, happy that you and Delia were there to experience it with us!
Hi Kirst,
yes it was great. I looked at my photos again. Couldn‘t it be that it was the Ximungwe young male? The dots on Ntomi and Ximungwe look the same to me and I can‘t tell them apart. How did you recognize Ntomi?
First, fascinating video of the baby hippo and it’s mother with the Naomi leopard lurking about.
Wow. The Ntomi Male was very brave to attempt this, very high risk high reward hunting, the mother Hippo was massive.
The other day I watched footage of 3 of the Mapogos drowning a baby Hippo on youtube, very brutal.
My word!! That’s the first footage I’ve ever seen of a leopard hunting a hippo calf!!
Hi Kirst, what stunning footage of the Ntomi male and the mother hippo and tiny calf. I don’t think he reckoned the huge size of the mother, and they can be very aggressive. But the little calf is too cute for words. Very glad the calf is still alive.
Thank you Valmai, the mother was indeed very protective over her newborn calf.
Wow! what a crazy sighting….these young male leopards are just so curious and always trying out their hunting tactics! Its all about exploration of their world….
Thanks Lisa, it is always an interesting time watching the young leopards explore their world.