Nah. They were hunting. The most important thing for a predator is not to catch its prey, but to do so without injury. Had the otter managed to bite through and leave a wound, the wolf it bit would've practically get a death sentence, considering it's somewhere with a lot of snow. Not to mention the dangers of an infection spawning from the bite, the possible frostbite would've dealt a killing blow.
With pack animals, it's sometimes different. But there's a different food abundance in the arctic than it is in Kenya, as an example. And a Leopard can be more risk taking in hunting than a Wolf because hey, if it ***** up badly it can just go eat carcasses or hunt cheetahs, wait for them to catch their prey and chase them away and eat it in peace.
This is why I couldn't be a nature photographer.. I would be running over there flailing away to get rid of the wolves..
I know it's natural selection in the wild but I couldn't stop myself :/
i dont understand why theyre so cautious of him. like whenever the otter strikes they back up like he's going to hurt him. it's what bought him enough time to get away.