Photos show dramatic fight back by wildebeests as a leopard fails in hunt

A hungry leopard in search of a feast left with its tail between its legs after its prey had a weapon it didn't count on - its mother.

The mother wildebeest charged at the leopard, saving its young and leaving the leopard "chastened and bruised".

Martin Farrell, 54, captured these stunning images while taking a Kicheche safari camp tour of the Mara North Conservancy in Kenya. His wife, Kathy, even managed to get video on the incident.

She said: "We have done many safari but have never seen anything remotely like this and somehow Benjamin put us in the right place at the right time."

Paul Goldstein, Kicheche camp co-owner and wildlife photographer, explained: "Martin and Kathy Farrell stopped to observe a sleeping leopard. It soon awoke and immediately started hunting.

"This was a big, fully adult male after a young wildebeest which, during migration will form a major part of its diet.

"However, having brought it down with a tackle any rugby wing forward would have been proud of, it was not prepared for the 'mother-lode' of anguish and protection the wildebeest mum threw at him.

Adding: "Chastened and bruised it slunk away to lick its wounds. Somehow, despite their feverish excitement, Martin and Kathy took some amazing images and footage.

"The wildebeest cow could easily have paid the ultimate sacrifice with this astonishing show of tenaciousness, but did not."