Lions in Trees

Imagine you’re a leopard.

After an exhausting ordeal, you’re settling high up in a tree with your meal. Delighting in the shade the tree provides against the hot sun, you also chose this perch because it helps protects you and your lunch from being stolen away by other predators.

You’re in no mood to fight and trees are your domain.

Suddenly, you glance down and notice that a sleek lioness has started circling below. You’re not worried, however, because lions don’t climb trees.

Unfortunately, for you, this lion does.

Before you know it the lioness has swiftly closed the distance up the tree and swiped your lunch.

Stunned, you watch your food carted away.

This scenario is playing out for leopards in Botswana, where a certain pride of lions have taken to climbing trees. Something never seen before.

In order to outwit them leopards will have to come up with a new strategy. Since they are lighter and better designed for climbing perhaps they can head towards branches that can’t hold the weight of lions.

It’ll be one adjustment many leopards will have to make since, unlike lions, they’re on their own.

So, when your world changes in unexpected ways, think of the leopard. It may not change its spots, but the clever one will certainly have to change its ways.

Around 3:25 see leopards and lions