A hungry leopard was unable to pursue a skittish porcupine, which utilized its spikes to defend itself.
When visiting Kruger National Park with his wife, Ard van de Wetering witnessed a ravenous predator hunting for food.
As the leopard jumped into a drainage canal, it discovered a prickly treat who was not interested in becoming the next meal.
The porcupine walked towards its att.a.ckers, using its well-protected back to move forward to avoid the a.tt.acks.
The porcupine was left alone in the middle of the road after a 30-minute fight with the leopard. Finally, it moved on to new prey.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence,” he added. “I had no idea that we’d get to witness something like this firsthand.”
Porcupines have a tremendous self-defense mechanism. It was as if the leopard grew weary or gave up after a while.
“It was clearly inexperienced, and the porcupine had all the tricks in the book.”