Sizing each other up. Kenya: IF YOU thought you had a problem with boomerang children unwilling to fly the nest spare a thought for this mother leopar
Sizing each other up. Kenya: IF YOU thought you had a problem with boomerang children unwilling to fly the nest spare a thought for this mother leopard who had to fight her offspring into vicious images show a final altercation between a mother and daughter leopard, with the mother bitterly banishing the daughter to independence because she had a new litter of cubs she could not risk her older daughter being near. One image shows the two leopards launching at each other in a violent attack, claws out with the daughter eventually being overpowered by her mother and cast out for good. After raising her daughter for around two-years, the newly independent leopard would have to find her own territory and it is unlikely their paths would cross again and even if they do encounter each other the mother-daughter bond would be irrevocably broken. Leopards can grow to be feet long, with a tail and weigh in excess of 190 pounds. These images were captured by photographer Eric Averdung (24) in Ishara Mara, at the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya using a Canon R5 camera. ?Luluka, the Mara?s star leopardess, was basking in the evening rays just a few metres from the road and exuding her usual elegance,? said Eric. ?About 600 metres away, her daughter, Jilime had a jackal kill tucked atop a balanite tree and was feeding. ?As we drove towards her, I had a feeling that her path would cross with that of her mother, who was heading in that general direction. ?Jackals form lifelong pairs, and a glimpse into the canopy revealed that Jilime had one hoisted there, presumably the partner of the bereaved jackal below. ?Within seconds, Luluka sprung up into the tree and viciously attacked Jilime, initiating a violent exchange that thundered through the atmosphere. ?Luluka swiftly descended and began circling her daughter, each hissing at the other as the pressure mounted. ?We later received news that Luluka has just given birth to two cubs near the area, bringing
Size: 3500px × 2334px
Photo credit: © Media Drum World / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: big, cat, fight, kenya, leopard, photographer
