Porcupine Parents Protect Babies from Leopard

“As a guide in the Kruger National Park, I have had the privilege of witnessing some incredible wildlife sightings over the years. However, one particular experience stands out. I was preparing to take a group of guests on a bush walk. We had just left Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp when one of my guests informed me of a leopard that had been seen in the area earlier that morning. With a slight bit of anticipation, we headed in that direction.”

“After searching for a short while. We decided it was best to leave the leopard and instead prepare for our morning walk. I stopped the vehicle on the roadside and informed the guests that it was safe for them to disembark from the vehicle. Whilst I was conducting the pre-trail brief on the safety and procedures of the walk, a deep sound echoed from the culvert that was a few meters from us.”

“On the road in front of me, a porcupine mother emerged from the culvert with two youngsters. They were shortly followed by the male porcupine. Then a leopard! The same leopard we had been searching for that morning had now found us and was in the middle of a hunt. I hurried my guest to the safety of the vehicle and watched on in awe.”

Porcupines are typically mute creatures and are not frequently observed vocalizing. The deep grunt that was audible was a definite warning of danger and a sign that the porcupines were under the stress of some kind.

“At first, I thought the leopard would quickly overpower the porcupines. As I watched the scene unfold, I was in awe of their determination and bravery. The porcupine couple worked together, using their sharp quills as a weapon against the leopard. The leopard tried to pounce, but each time it did, the porcupines would turn their backs and raise their quills. Successfully deterring the leopard from attacking.”

“The parents made sure that the two youngsters were always in the middle and out of reach of the leopard. After a few minutes, the leopard eventually gave up and retreated into the bush. The porcupine family was able to continue on their way, safe and unharmed.”

Moments like these serve as a reminder that we share this beautiful land with a diverse and fascinating array of wildlife. It’s up to us to protect and preserve it for future generations.

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[TheOpalHammer]

It's crazy seeing teamwork from porcupines. Imagine if they travelled in herds? Just a ball of omnidirectional spikes moving across the landscape.

[SunnySTX]

I'm most amazed that the young ones knew exactly where to be during the encounter. Amazing!

[Velocity_YT]

This was amazing! The parents had good coordinated defense and didn't let up until the leopard left them alone. They were really brave. I really love it when I see animal families protect each other like this.

[MoahGentle]

This got to be a once in a lifetime footage. Props to the amazing porcupine parents and babies for the team work to fight death off.

[atari_rx]

I have never seen a family of porcupines before but this was incredibly wholesome to watch them protect their babies

[NasTimeAdventures]

Great teamwork. Even the babies knew their place.

[emBoogie]

That's what you call "don't mess with my babies." Kudos to the babies too for knowing what to do and following their parents lead!

[stacyboudreau]

Twin porcupettes are extremely rare. What an amazing family. They did a great job protecting each other.

[vivalabad]

The leopard went from excited to determined to angry to embarrassed in 2 minutes. Those porcupines had amazing positioning and awareness! Cute little land urchins.

[thomasdemore]

Nature is so incredible. Porcupines aren't at all like big cats, but they still have the tools to defend against one. I did not realize how vocal they can be either.

[littlebanshee]

So incredible, the teamwork between the two parents and the way the babies stayed in the safest spot is amazing. Seemed like the Leopard considered switching priorities to the camera person at the end there.

[revoltsoon]

this is the content that should be promoted in youtube, no intro, no bgm, no narration, nothing bs, just pure content, keep it up, you got a sub

[scottcunningham]

The best thing about this: Not clickbait.

[Chryztallic]

Mom and dad were like: "We can do this all day, buddy."

[nikiedmonds]

When family sticks together...literally 😊

[ScottMcMaster-erxj]

Well done Porcupine Parents!! Role models for all of us with your courage.

[Wulf-sqzw]

Its amazing how coordinated they are. Not only the parents but the babies aswell.

[yourlovestorytarot]

WOW! Never seen this before. Bless their hearts, they did an excellent job protecting their babies.

[ZookoNY]

What an amazing display. The parents had such good coordination and discipline in their defensive positioning. And even the porcupettes knew where to be and were quick to stay in their positions. Unbelievable. Great job mom and dad.

That last stare from the leopard at the camera seemed to be the big feline calculating if it should go after the human. 😳 I'd have taken cover if it took even one STEP left. But it ran back into the wilderness.
What a recording!

[Jami-vmzv]

Poor babies. So scary.
Leopard was so determined.
All the talking they were doing was amazing.