His whole body was trembling as he peeked around the corner. The thought of that beast being around his cow sent shivers down his spine. He knew he was about to confirm his worst fears, but nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to see. He loved being a farmer just as much as his father did, and his father taught him that predators like that should be warded off. However, what he stumbled upon caused him to question everything he knew.

Questioning Everything

Abraham Amel was an average farmer. Once his father retired, Abraham decided that he wanted to take over the family farm. He was content with his life and already knew how to run a farm as he used to help his father as a young boy. He knew how to take care of the cattle and the crops, and he knew what was needed to ensure that everything ran smoothly. Once he took over the farm, he did his best to ensure that the farm was living up to his father&#8217;s standards. However, one fateful day, Abraham found himself in a strange situation.

Taking Over The Family Farm

Abraham was exceptionally good at raising cattle. The farm produced strong cattle, and Abraham wanted to uphold the reputation. He wanted nothing more than to make his father proud. There was one cow that held a special place in his heart. The cow’s name was Abiba, which translated to beloved. She was very important to him, and he even kept her separately from the other cows.

His Pride

Abiba had to undergo challenging circumstances when she was born. She was much smaller than the other cows, and due to this, her mother rejected her. Abraham could not bear the thought that this animal suffered, so he took it upon himself to raise her. She was a very weak calf, but she got healthy in no time, thanks to Abraham. The two shared a special connection, and Abraham knew that he could never sell her or harm her. Abraham could never have anticipated the odd visitor his most prized possession would receive.

Taking Care Of Her

One evening, a strange noise came from Abiba’s pen, but Abraham just brushed it off and went to bed. The following morning, Abraham went to check and feed all the livestock. Once he got to Abiba’s pen, everything looked different and trashed. The fence was broken, and a wave of concern washed over him. He rushed to check on Abiba and was stunned by what he saw.

A Strange Noise

He inspected the pen further and noticed that the straw was misplaced and the wood was filled with scratches. Abiba seemed unharmed and was contently lying in the pen. He investigated the scratch mark, and he was taken aback when he realized what it was. Scratch marks like those could have only been caused by some sort of predator. He was relieved nothing happened to his beloved cow and spent the entire day fixing the pen. He did his best to ensure that nothing could get into the pen. He could not help but wonder why a predator would break in but not harm Abiba?

A Confusing Situation

Abraham was proud of his work that day and went to bed feeling content. However, he was met with another unwelcome sight the following morning. The predator appeared to have broken in again despite his reinforcements. Abiba was still unharmed, and he was perplexed. Why was this happening? He sighed and got right into fixing the pen, but this time he installed a camera so that he could get to the bottom of things.

It Happened Again!

This repeated the following day. Abraham smiled as he knew that he could check the footage to see what exactly was going on. However, nothing could have prepared him for what the footage would reveal to him. He turned on his computer to investigate the footage. He spotted a dark figure climbing into Abiba’s pen; what the creature did next surprised Abraham.

Examining The Footage

The creature got into the pen and curled up against Abiba. Abraham felt uncomfortable knowing that this strange creature was with Abiba. However, nothing came of it. The two animals merely cuddled throughout the evening. The animals seemed familiar with one another, and Abiba seemed happy that the creature was with her. They appeared to be close friends, but Abraham knew that this animal was not from his farm. It was a dangerous beast…

Friend, Not Foe

A confused expression washed over Abrahams&#8217;s face. He immediately wanted to alert the authorities but as the animal expressed no malintent, he knew that taking matters into his own hands would be the safest bet. He spent the entire morning figuring out what to do next, and once he formulated a plan he knew he would receive some strange looks from people. However, his curiosity triumphed over any sense he had.

The Next Step

Even though he had video evidence, his curiosity compelled him to take a closer look. He mentally prepared himself to do the unthinkable &#8211; to catch the animal when it was still there in the pen. He knew it left at around 4 in the morning, an hour before he normally woke up. He decided to have an early night and try to catch it in the act. But as he approached the pen, he felt his nerves get the best of him.

Needed Physical Evidence

He felt his hands shake as he slowly crept around the corner. He knew that the animal was in the pen with his beloved cow. He would finally see it with his own eyes. But he wasn’t ready for what he would see. After being a farmer his whole life, he was taught by his father to scare off predators and that they were dangerous. But looking at the animal in front of him with his cow made him question everything.

The Animal

The animal that broke into his pen every night was a leopard. He was sure now that he saw it with his own two eyes. But there was something that the cameras didn’t quite capture &#8211; affection. He could tell that the leopard was looking after the cow, making sure it was alright and checking in on it every night. Was it possible it could tell she was weak and needed protection?

Protecting

Abraham was somehow more confused than he had been before. It was clear that the leopard didn’t mean any harm, but it went against its nature to look after his cow. He knew he’d have to make some changes. He decided rather than fight it. He could let things play out. It was clear there was no threat from the leopard, and to be honest. It would help scare off wolves and wild dogs.

Confusion

Abraham decided to induct the leopard as part of his strange animal family. His father would have hated the idea of there being a predator on the farm, but old traditions are meant to be replaced with new ones sometimes. The leopard stuck around and would go visit its friend every night like clockwork. He knew he no longer had to worry about his cow and especially of predators.

Part Of The Family

Over the course of the next few months, the leopard started getting more comfortable with Abraham and started sleeping on the property. He decided to help it feel appreciated and started leaving meat out for it to eat. He knew that his farm was a little unorthodox, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He knew he’d teach his son one day to run the farm just as his father before.

An Unlikely Friendship