If you need a smile today, look no further than this TikTok video shared by Wildlife Rescuers recently. A visitor at a wildlife park captured a hilarious moment between a baby snow leopard and his mom, and watching the little one practice his hunting skills is guaranteed to brighten your day!
Watch on as the little one gets in position to ‘attack’ his mom as she’s walking towards him. He’s patient and calm, slowly crawling towards his ‘prey’. Mom’s jump scare at the end is the best thing you’ll see today!
This was so fun to watch, and we watched Wildlife Rescuers’ video too many times to count! Mom definitely caught some air on those hops, and then just walked away as if it hadn’t happened. The baby snow leopard must have been so proud of himself!
Related: Zookeeper Gives Clouded Leopard Cub a Bath and We All Want the Job
Was the Baby Snow Leopard Really Trying to Scare His Mom?
We wondered what was really going on in the video. Was mom really frightened or just pretending to be? Is it normal for babies to sneak up on their moms? As a mom myself, I know for a fact that human toddlers do this for fun and wonder if it’s the same for animals!
Wildlife Rescuers explained more in the video’s caption, “What makes the moment special is that the mother pretends to be startled, even though she clearly saw her cub coming. This playful behaviour is more than just fun.
For young snow leopards, practicing stalking and pouncing is an important part of learning the hunting skills they will need as adults. By responding as if the cub’s “attack” worked, the mother encourages her little one to keep trying, building confidence and reinforcing natural instincts that are vital for survival in the wild.”
Mom’s everywhere do the same thing! Viewer @Ashley totally gets it and admitted, “My 16-year-old does this on the daily to me!! LOL!” The little guy was totally acting like a human kid!
Commenter @Abby F swooned, “Ooooh big scare, rawwwr!!” @nancyfancyclancy00 shared, “Mum pretends to be scared to give her baby some confidence. Now this has to be the cutest thing ever!”
@toni amanda agreed that it’s total cuteness overload, “Too cute. Love how she encourages him with the big jump, like he truly scared her and never saw him because of how stealthy he was.” We could seriously watch the scene on a loop all day!
This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Aug 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.