By Seymour Bruggers
In the far northern region of the Okavango Delta lies a place of timeless battles where lions and buffalo struggle daily for life and death. This is Duba Plains – made famous by Derick & Beverly Joubert for films such as The Last Lions.
I had the amazing opportunity to witness the battles last year November. Watching a small pride of lion taking on a herd of buffalo 1000+ strong is something truly amazing – raw nature at its very best.
This small series of images, all converted to Sepia, sums up my story and my portrayal of that life and death struggle …
This young male nonchalantly stands up and looks out for his female companion. The approaching buffalo have their eyes fixed on the lion, making sure that he is aware of their arrival.
As the buffalo heard approaches closer, the female lioness closely looks at the herd for any weaknesses, any potential targets. this buffalo will, however, have none of it and aggressively charges the lioness.
The rest of the herd joins in a unanimously to charge the lioness. You can feel the tension and the hatred that they have towards lions. Even the though the lioness makes a run for it, she constantly turns her body to face the buffalo - she is after all, a buffalo hunter and always looks for opportunities to attack.
A temporary hold on the stand-off, the male decides that today he will make a retreat. The female however, stands strong. Her eyes constantly pierced at the herd.
The challenge - a sheer wall of power comes to a standstill in front of a lioness. She stands strong and taking on the challenge. The tension is amazing. One can only imagine what goes through a lion's mind when confronted with a massive herd of buffalo - standing merely three meters away!
The retreat - after the tension, the lions decide that today is not their day. The male and female walk off in unison, while the buffalo not losing their sites on the lions, stand victorious - for one day at least.
Check out www.wildafricaphotography.co.za for more photography from Seymour Bruggers.
Visit Duba Plains and capture the action for yourself on a four-night Okavango Delta – Duba Plains Photographic Safari with Getaway Adventures.
