It was an unfortunate day for a buffalo that met its fate after crossing paths with a pride of 22 lions at MalaMala Game Reserve in Greater Kruger. The lions weren’t even deterred by a herd of 20 elephants nearby.
Latest Sightings shared footage of this event, which was taken by Field guide Gareth van Rooyen. He told Latest Sightings that he and his group had just finished lunch after a morning drive when they heard distress calls from a buffalo.
‘I called my guests and asked them if they were interested in going out again to witness the scene – they were very keen,’ Gareth said. ‘It took us no more than 5 minutes to reach the site where the 22 members of the Kambula pride were in the process of hunting an adult buffalo bull. We were filled with adrenaline and were engrossed by what was unfolding before us,’ he continued.
‘It took the lions about 2 hours to bring this buffalo down and although this is a natural occurrence in the ecosystem its helpless moaning and groaning made it difficult to watch. Eventually, when the buffalo ran out of steam, it drew its final breath and the lions started to feed.’
‘Soon after the buffalo’s demise, a herd of elephants approached the location and they were not happy with the sight before them… The lions gave way at first but one of the sub-adult males decided to charge at the elephants, catching them off-guard,’ Gareth said in conclusion. ‘The elephants milled about in the area for a bit longer, seemingly deciding what to do next. They finally chose to move down to the river below. The lions fed on the buffalo for the next day and a half providing much-needed sustenance for large pride.’
Picture: Screenshot
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