Compassion is one of the most beautiful attributes we can see in others. Some might think that the trait extends only to the human race, but many animal lovers believe that animals (both wild and domesticated) have the innate ability to show compassion as well.
In this video, a short clip from National Geographic's 2006 documentary Eye of the Leopard, we get the rare chance to witness the ultimate act of compassion in the wild as it plays out in front of our eyes.
Legadema, a two-year-old leopard cub, is on the hunt and has just made her very first kill. It's a huge moment for the young leopard, but there's no possible way that she could have been prepared for the surprise she would uncover upon taking her kill (a baboon) up into a tree.
As Legadema carries the limp baboon into the tree, a newborn baboon comes tumbling out of her mother's fur. It is, at once, a terrifying and adorable moment. What Legadema does, however, is even more amazing.
When the young leopard spots the newborn baboon, she completely abandons her kill and starts taking care of the baby as if she were the baboon's mother. She picks up the baby, carries it to higher ground, and scares off an approaching cackle of hyenas — an animal that would normally have the leopard herself running for the hills.
Once the newborn baboon is out of harm's way, Legadema curls up with the baby and begins licking its fur clean. She basically becomes the baboon's surrogate mother. It is one of the most compassionate things we've ever seen an animal do.
"Several times, the baby baboon fell out of the tree," filmmaker Dereck Joubert told the Daily Mail. "Each time, Legadema raced down to pick her up before the hyenas descended, and carried her back up to safety. The baboon clearly thought of Legadema as a surrogate mother. For several hours, they nestled in the tree."
What an absolutely beautiful moment!
Unfortunately, according to the Huffington Post, the newborn baboon could not survive the evening due to the lack of nourishment and care from its mother. The kind-hearted nature of one young leopard named Legadema, however, surely saved the baby from being consumed by hungry hyenas.
Please SHARE this amazing, heartwarming video with all your friends and family! Animals do have compassion and this video is proof positive!
