Upon spotting a brown hyena foraging in the distance, a young, playful lioness switched into hunt mode. Brown hyena’s situation appears bleak, but watch the finish to see how this lion gives the hyena the scare of its life.
Jordan Davidson, a 36-year-old Senior Trails Guide at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, photographed this unusual occurrence while on a safari with his visitors in the Klein Karoo.
According to Jordan, “out in the Klein Karoo on Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, we had departed on our morning drive in the hopes of catching the lions awake and walking before they found the shade and flopped down for the day.”
“One of the guides reported seeing a brown hyena, but it was being stalked by a youngish lioness. We were a short drive away, and my first impression was that we would miss the excitement. I seized the opportunity to speak with my visitors and inform them of the circumstance. We made the decision to leave the hippo in a small pan and search for the lioness.
We saw the lioness on a severely deteriorated channel as we got closer to the place, lurking through the khanna shrubs. We observed the hyena strolling, sniffing, and foraging further south along the opposing canal. It was completely unaware that the lioness was around.
The lioness is now living alone and is not a member of a pride. Brown hyenas feed and scavenge independently despite living in clans. They are a highly elusive animal, and you hardly ever see them outside during the day. Fortunately for us, the morning was extremely chilly and cloudy, which allowed this hyena to remain outside for longer. I was quite curious to see how the lion’s great strength would affect the hyena’s ability to protect itself.
“I was able to rapidly pull up next to the hyena as it stood and waited. The activity started quickly and continued quickly. We were shocked to see that she didn’t complete the murder when she initiated her attack. She did, however, give this hyena the scare of its life. She could have been in a playful mood, annoyed by the hyenas’ peculiar noises, or even confused because of the hyena’s long fur that allowed it to evade her claws.
“However, it was an amazing sighting! Personally, I had been anticipating this particular interaction for years.
The Klein Karoo, where Sanbona is situated, is distinctive in terms of animals and habitat. It crosses across into the lush Karoo and fynbos biomes. The varied succulents in the landscapes are like a living jewelry box, providing a feast for the eyes. All of this makes for incredibly uncommon interactions that are unmatched elsewhere, especially when combined with the abundance of animals.