1 Leopards are Amazing Climbers

Leopards can climb as high as 50 feet up a tree while holding its latest kill in its mouth. Leopards bring their food up trees so that other animals like lions and hyenas cannot get it. One leopard in a South African game reserve was once spotted taking his impala up a tree when two hyenas came out of nowhere and latched on the dangling feet of the leopard’s dinner. The leopard persevered and the hyenas fell to the ground with only a small part of the leopard’s dinner leaving the leopard to climb higher in the tree to enjoy his impala in peace. Another leopard was even spotted carrying a small giraffe up a tree! Leopards are not only famous for the way they climb up trees – they are even more famous for the way they climb down again. Leopards are able descend down a tree head first. For an animal that can climb as high as 50 feet – this is a true feat!

It is in tree climbing that the true strength of the leopard is revealed. Leopards have been spotted carrying large game, like buffalo calves and giraffes, up trees. Some of their kills weigh twice as much as they do! Try this on for size: carrying a giraffe up a tree for a leopard is like a human carrying the body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger (113 kg) up a tree – in your teeth!

Climbing isn’t just great for hiding food – it can also save a leopard’s life. Climbing up trees helps them to escape from predators like lions who are unable to climb as quickly, nimbly or as high as leopards because of their body shape.

Leopards are some of the most enigmatic and awe inspiring animals in the world. They are rarely seen and hard to track because they are solitary animals who roam endlessly through their own territory. They are some of the most powerful and beautiful cats in the world, but even the most powerful and agile animals have predators. Leopards may be killed by lions and tigers, and even hyenas, despite their small size, can bring a leopard down with enough surprise and a big enough pack. The most dangerous threat to the leopard population is humans. Between poaching, retribution killings and the destruction of their natural habitat, humans have killed over 2,000 leopards in the wild in India in the last 10 years alone. Thankfully, leopards are some of the most adaptable creatures in the wild. They will eat anything from big game to insects – some even swim in the rivers and are known to eat fish and crab. They can climb trees to hide from predators and keep their food safe. To further help their cause, the conservation of leopards is high priority of both local governments as well as organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, who seek to protect both leopards and their natural habitats.