Read + Write + Report
Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Blogs | Writers | My Orble | Login

Zentertainment - by Cheryl J

When the hunter lay down with its prey

April 8th 2009 11:15
The animal kingdom never ceases to amaze me. A predator whose instinct is to kill is transformed by the wonder that confronts it.

This piece of footage by National Geographic follows a leopard which after taking down one its most feared enemies is puzzled by the baby its kill was carrying. In an astonishing piece of footage you see what can only be described as a true mystery and miracle.

Lagadema the Leopard - National Geographcc



Although the ending is not a happy one, it is the tale itself which makes it fascinating and heartwarming.

From National Geographic:

When Legadema was five months old, her mother brought her a live baby impala. At first, the cub wasn’t sure what to do with the animal. She began playing with it like a toy.

Then she started to attack it, but she didn’t really know how to kill it. Her mother patiently guided her. She taught her cub how to turn a living animal into a meal.

Learning the lesson well, the cub turned her attention toward the squirrels. She played dizzying games of hide-and-seek with them. The games she had played weren’t just for fun. They taught her to hunt and kill prey.

Over the years, she killed hundreds of squirrels. She also took down larger prey, such as baby warthogs.When Legadema was 13 months old, she got into a spat with her mother. This happened when the cub refused to share a meal. Her mother drove her out. The cub would have to survive on her own.


At first, she lived close to her mother’s den. She hunted in her mother’s territory. Slowly, she moved away and found her own territory. She hunted prey and hid from predators.

Leopards are usually afraid of baboons. One day, though, Legadema really surprised us. She killed an adult female baboon. Then she discovered a baby clinging to his dead mother.

The tiny baboon stretched his arms out to Legadema. For the next few hours, the leopard cub cared for the newborn baboon.

She groomed him. She carried him high into a tree to keep him safe. The two cuddled up and went to sleep. Despite Legadema’s care, the baby didn’t make it through the night.

Today, Legadema is four. She has a mate and may soon have cubs. She will teach them the same lessons her mother taught her.


This video is truly something special that was caught on film. Isn't nature wonderful?



Information from National Geographic
118
Vote
Add To: del.icio.us Digg Furl Spurl.net StumbleUpon Yahoo


   

   

   


Comments
7 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Morgan Bell

April 8th 2009 13:54

Comment by Cheryl J

April 8th 2009 13:59
Hahaha Morgan! Good one! It seems so...

Comment by Norm

April 9th 2009 01:54
I just got a warm fuzzy feeling. That. I needed.

Comment by Johnny Come Lately

April 9th 2009 04:26
Oh wow, how cute!

Comment by techman

April 9th 2009 17:09
I almost cried that just shows evertthing has a heart.

Comment by Lilla

April 10th 2009 01:43
Wow, Cheryl,

How sad the little baboon was too young to make it through, it would have forged a special friendship alright. Thangs are certainly changing in the consciousness of even the jungle itself it seems. . .

Worth logging on for.

Cheers

Lilla ..

Comment by Janet Collins

April 10th 2009 12:36
Good find Cheryl,

Takes the whole "law of the jungle" into a better sphere.

Add A Comment

To create a fully formatted comment please click here.


CLICK HERE TO LOGIN | CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Name or Orble Tag
Home Page (optional)
Comments
Bold Italic Underline Strikethrough Separator Left Center Right Separator Quote Insert Link Insert Email
Notify me of replies
Notify extra people about this comment
Is this a private comment?
List the Email Addresses or Orble Tags of the people you would like to be notified about this comment


One per line max of 30

List the Email Addresses or Orble Tags of the people you would like to be notified about this private comment thread. Only the people in this list will be able to see or reply to your comment.


One per line max of 30

Your Name
(for the email going out to the above list, it can be different to your Orble Tag)
Your Email Address
(optional)
(required for reply notification)
Submit
More Posts
1 Posts
1 Posts
1 Posts
60 Posts dating from March 2008
Email Subscription
Receive e-mail notifications of new posts on this blog:
0

Cheryl J's Blogs

1466 Vote(s)
135 Comment(s)
12 Post(s)
4721 Vote(s)
319 Comment(s)
40 Post(s)
Moderated by Cheryl J
Copyright © 2006 2007 2008 On Topic Media PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved. Design by Vimu.com.
On Topic Media ZPages: Sydney |  Melbourne |  Brisbane |  London |  Birmingham |  Leeds     [ Advertise ] [ Contact Us ] [ Privacy Policy ]