Young leopard gets a prickly reception as it tries to eat a porcupine



This young male leopard gets a prickly reception after deciding to make a meal of a porcupine.

The big cat was left with sore paws and a bruised ego after losing out in a battle of wits with its spiny opponent.

Using all his hunting techniques, the two-year-old male tried pouncing on the porcupine from above, prodding him and trying to roll him over, but to no avail.

Spiky reception: The two-year-old male leopard decides to make a meal of the wandering porcupine, but gets several painful spines in his paws for his trouble

Undeterred, the hungry feline even tried extending a gentle paw as the porcupine shook its foot-long spines ferociously.

After 25 minutes and several painful spines in his paws, the big cat was forced to accept defeat and retreat with his tail between his legs.

The incredible moment was captured on camera by professional wildlife photographer Shem Compion in the Mashatu Game reserve, in Botswana.

Prickly customer: The leopard spent 25 minutes and exhausted his whole hunting repertoire including leaping on top of the porcupine before slinking off in defeat

Painful: The leopard got several of the porcupine's quills stuck in it as he struggled to get past its defences

Mr Compion, 33, who lives in South Africa, said: 'Excitement hardly describes my feelings - it was one of my top wildlife sightings ever.

'We saw this beautiful leopard lounging on a log and then a few moments later a porcupine walked nearby and started nibbling some roots.

'Suddenly, this relaxed leopard spotted the porcupine and sprang on to high alert, watching the rodent before getting up to stalk him.

'From then on it was full adrenaline. The leopard spent 25 minutes trying to touch the porcupine and get to him.

'The porcupine kept pushing his quills towards the cat and rattling them in a very frightening manner - the leopard would jump in shock.

Me-owww: The young leopard pulls its paw back in pain after one of the foot-long quills lodges in it

'He tried all sorts of things to get under the porcupine but nothing was working and eventually he gave up and lay down.

'There's a rule in the bush which says "only food runs", so the porcupine knew to stick around until the leopard had walked away so it could get water from a pool.

'It went from tension to suspense, pain, torment and eventually relief. It was a truly incredible sight.'