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Hyena drowns rare pangolin and tears off its scales in a shocking wildlife encounter at Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park

Wildlife is full of unexpected encounters, but some moments leave you stunned.

That’s exactly what happened in a recent sighting at Kruger National Park, where a hyena came across one of the animal kingdom’s most unique creatures—a pangolin.

The Hyena Meets Its Match

Pangolins are famous for their tough, scale-covered bodies, which make them extremely hard for predators to eat.

At first, the hyena tried to bite through the scales, but quickly realised it wasn’t going to be easy.

Those natural armour plates were too much to crack.

A Ruthless Strategy

Instead of giving up, the hyena resorted to a shocking tactic.

It dragged the pangolin into the water, drowning it before patiently peeling off each scale one by one.

The rare behaviour was all captured on video, showing just how resourceful—and ruthless—wild predators can be when faced with a challenge.

Captured on Camera

The dramatic scene was filmed by Jan Kriel and later shared on the Latest Sightings – Kruger YouTube channel, where it’s been drawing plenty of attention.

Viewers are both fascinated and horrified by the footage, which offers a raw look at survival in nature.

More Wildlife Moments

This isn’t the only unusual sighting to make headlines recently.

From herons battling eagles over fishing spots to unexpected animal alliances, nature continues to prove it’s full of surprises.

The Latest Sightings platform regularly shares clips like these, offering a front-row seat to the wild’s most unpredictable moments.