PIC FROM TIAAN STEYNBERG / CATERS NEWS - PICTURED: - Knowing that the cat has nowhere to go and with the Carcal close on it's trail, it leaps from the tree - They say cats always land on their feet and this scaredy cat was no different ñ jumping an incredible 30 metres to avoid the clutches of a wild caracal. The African domestic cat was snapped at the top of a tree in the Kgalagadi National Park, South Africa, while the caracal climbed to hunt its prey. The cat then leapt an incredible 30m from the top of the tree and got away from the caracal after a lengthy pursuit through the plains. Tiaan Steynberg, a 33-year-old South African photographer, used a Nikon D7000 and a Nikon 80-400mm to capture the incredible moment. SEE CATERS COPY.
Even when you’re blessed with nine lives, it’s not the most hopeful of situations.
For one wild cat, it looked as if fleeing to the top branches of a tree high above the African savannah could not save it from a fierce predator closing in rapidly from below.
So when you’re struggling to escape a caracal – also known as a desert lynx – sometimes you just have to make a
giant leap of faith.
Prepare for take-off: In a last-ditch attempt to escape an approaching caracal, or desert lynx, the desperate wild cat launched itself from the top branches of a tree above the African savannah, from 100ft in the airSummoning every last ounce of courage, the feline launched itself into empty space – and amazingly landed unscathed on the ground 100ft below, before racing off to complete an unlikely escape.
These extraordinary pictures were captured by photographer Tiaan Steynberg in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, on the border of South Africa and Botswana.Wild show: The extraordinary pictures were captured by photographer Tiaan Steynberg in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, on the border of South Africa and BotswanaHunter: The caracal, or desert lynx, can bring down prey three time its prey and would go to any heights to capture a tasty snack
Steynberg spotted the aerial duel unfolding on the leafless branches of a tree in a parched landscape, where the rivers are said to flow only once every 100 years.
When a square meal can be so scarce, it’s little wonder that the caracal – which can down prey three times its size – would go to any heights to capture a tasty snack.
Instead, it was left clinging to an empty branch as its intended lunch disappeared into thin air.