Written by: Yasmin Tajik of Shalimar Studios

Leopard dive-bomb: On a safari trip in Moremi, Botswana, we were out one morning with our ranger Tutalife, when he stopped the vehicle and pointed out a female leopard in a tree.

The leopard was intently watching a group of impala grazing nearby, and as they slowly moved under the tree, we knew we were about to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event. After about 10 minutes, we saw the leopard dive-bomb from the tree onto an unsuspecting impala below, and before we knew it, the struggle had ended with a successful kill.

With the adrenalin pumping through our veins, we moved closer and captured incredible images of the leopard attempting to drag the carcass up a tree. She failed and elected to eat the carcass on the ground instead. The scene continued to unfold in front of us, as she tore into the flesh of the impala, enjoying the spoils. She then made a second attempt to drag the carcass up into a tree, but the weight of both the leopard and carcass were too heavy for the branches, and both subsequently fell to the ground. It was at that point that the leopard opted to hide the impala carcass behind her and nap in the cool shade. The opportunity to capture the entire scene unfolding right in front of me was pure luck. A big thank you to our ranger Tutalife for his excellent tracking skills.

Watch the incredible video below:

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