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Russian wildlife photographer, Sergey Gorshkov, has captured the grisly moment a 60-kilogram (132 pounds) leopard drags another leopard’s carcass from a tree and cannibalizes it.
The photographer watched the event unfold while on a trip to the Londolozi Private Game Reserve in South Africa.
Leopards spend most of their days in the trees, preferring to hunt at night around the twilight hours. Even though leopards are best known as active hunters, they are also very versed in the art of scavenging. This behavior of stashing their food up in trees is well documented. It's believed they do this to keep their hard-earned food away from others scavengers, such as hyenas and lions. They have even been known to hunt small giraffes and then drag their carcasses into trees.
It is, however, very uncommon for them to cannibalize a member of their own species, although not completely unheard of during times of extreme competition for food.
As for how brutal it may seem to our eyes, Sergey sees his photos in a more impartial light.
“My camera is my connecting link between me and wildlife. Through the lens of the camera I can see things, take pictures and try to reproduce the beauty of wild nature, a piece of what I have seen and how I felt being there,” Sergey said.
"I want to photograph wildlife as it is and how it should remain for our children,” he added.
Check out the incredible sequence of events below.
Sergey Gorshkov/Media Drum World
Sergey Gorshkov/Media Drum World
Sergey Gorshkov/Media Drum World
