This is the moment a leopard ended up with a porcupine’s quill up its nose – as it tried repeatedly to catch and eat the spikey creature.

The predator was resting in a tree on the side of the road in Kruger National Park in South Africa when its unsuspecting prey wandered past.

Measuring a metre and a half in length, the leopard pounced and moved in for the kill – but ended up with some of the porcupine’s quills planted in its mouth and paw.

Prickly customer: The predator was resting in a tree on the side of the road in Kruger National Park in South Africa when its unsuspecting prey wandered past

Prickly customer: The predator was resting in a tree on the side of the road in Kruger National Park in South Africa when its unsuspecting prey wandered past

Lunchtime: This leopard found itself in a prickly situation – as it tried to make a snack out of an adult porcupine in a wildlife reserve in South Africa

Moving in for the kill: The leopard, measuring a metre and a half in length, was waiting in a tree and pounced when it saw the porcupine walk past
Traffic came to a halt as the startled porcupine made its way across the road in a desperate escape bid.
After the leopard was injured in its initial attack, it backed away from its prey and then went in for a second assault. The porcupine managed to make it across the road but was eventually taken down by the big cat.
Yusuf Chavoos was driving his car through the National Park when he saw the two animals emerge from the trees and captured the dramatic tussle.

The leopard tries a different approach as it lowers its head to the ground in an attempt to attack the belly and hind legs of the porcupine

Tough task: The leopard reconsiders its approach after making a series of attempts to clamp hold of the porcupine as it was making its way across a road

Ready to pounce: Traffic came to a halt as the startled porcupine made its way across the road in a desperate escape bid

Yusuf Chavoos was driving his car through the National Park when he saw the two animals emerge from the trees and captured the dramatic tussle on camera

He said: ‘It looked like the leopard was trying to get to the porcupine’s belly or hind legs as there are less quills there.
‘Compared to the leopard, the porcupine was moving very slowly across the road.’

The 42-year-old optometrist from Johannesburg jumped out of his car to capture the action.

He said: ‘The porcupine looked very shocked and afraid.

‘It is incredibly rare to see a leopard attack a porcupine. It is dangerous for leopards to do this as they can get injured by the quills.

‘It is difficult to express how I felt when I saw this, but I would say I felt lucky and blessed to have witnessed something so rare.’

The leopard, pictured lying on its side, tried a number of different tactics to avoid being spiked by the porcupine which was defending itself with its quills

End of the road: After the leopard was injured in its initial attack, it backed away from its prey and then went in for a second deadly assault

Captured: Despite managing to make it across the road, the porcupine was eventually taken down by the leopard after it grabbed hold of the animal’s leg

Mr Chavoos said: ‘It is incredibly rare to see a leopard attack a porcupine. It is dangerous for leopards to do this as they can get injured by the quills’