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But with striking blue eyes and a fierce display of big-cat prowess its mother would be proud of the little lone leopard was able to keep the cowardly jackals at bay until help could arrive – in the shape of one angry mother. The cubs were re-united by mum and they carried on their journey.

Photographers Michel and Christine Denis-Huot, from France, captured the heart-warming moment while travelling through the Masai Mara wildlife reserve in Kenya

  
The leopard cubs had been playing happily before the jackals arrived

Moving on: But the family were forced to move on when a pair of jackals started paying the tiny cubs too much attention 

Help: The mother carries one of her cubs as it was struggling to keep up the pace 

‘We were following a leopard mother with her two young cubs,’ said Christine, 60.

‘The cubs were so cute playing with each other as well as with their mother.

‘As soon as she began to walk the jackals were following her.

‘She managed to take one of the cubs in her mouth and the other one was walking.

‘Sadly the last cub was tired and had to stop in the long grass.

Tracking: The jackals don’t let the leopards out of their sight as the mother tries to take her cubs to safety

 

Hiding: Unable to keep with the pace, the cub not being carried by it’s mother stops to rest and hide int eh long grass, but it’s steely blue eyes give it away

Confrontation: It’s not long before one of the jackals spots the tired cub

‘The jackals stopped too and became more and more aggressive.

‘The cub had to fend them off by making as much noise as possible and look aggressive.’

The scene lasted about three minutes before the cub eventually escaped.

Leopards are one of the top predators of the Masai  Mara

Surrounded: The tiny leopard cub makes as much noise as he can showing his tiny teeth at the predators

Brave: Even at such a young age the little leopard confronts the jackal and tries to scare it off

 

Fearless: The little lone leopard was able to keep the jackals at bay until help from its mother eventually arrived 

Safe at last: once the lone cub was rescued by its mother the family unit was reunited and could relax again at last 

Heart-stopping: This is the moment a tiny leopard cub hugged it’s mother after escaping a scary solo encounter with two hungry jackal!!!!

source:::::mailonline.com UK

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