Unlucky lion pursued by buffalo is cornered by two enraged herds; he decides to climb a tree in order to defend himself. A good decision or not?
Victoria Craddock, 26, and Chad Hobson, 27, had the wonderful opportunity to not only observe but also record this entire exchange. They provided LatestSightings.com with the narrative and visuals.
Outstanding game watching is available at MalaMala Game Reserve. We had amazing lion sightings during this visitor stay, so having the chance to discover something a little new was extremely enjoyable. a sizable buffalo herd.
Although they were aware of the herd of buffalo, there were also lions in the distance when we got there. It should be noted that this pride of lions had recently killed two sub-adult buffalo, so I didn’t expect them to go on another hunt. The likelihood of an interaction was not favorable because it was a very hot day. But the possibility of a lion-buffalo encounter is always intriguing.
The herd of more than 100 buffaloes appeared at the dam; when they churned up dust and waded in the murky water, the lighting was stunning. The herd proceeded to the east after quenching their thirst. We were ignorant of the fact that the lions had spotted another herd of buffalo moving toward the same dam.
“The lions started to rouse and chase after the second herd, causing chaos. The second herd responded against the lions by chasing them into a dry riverbed, where the first herd waited as the lions pursued the second herd. The first herd started after the lions because they were bothered by their presence.
“The lions were trapped between two enraged buffalo herds. A young man at this moment made the hasty choice to climb a russet bushwillow. This was a bad decision because the buffalo were now enraged. By no means was the tree he climbed large enough. He scurried to stay out of the way of the flailing horns. For almost an hour, the buffaloes stood at the tree’s base, sniffing and thrashing at the juvenile lion’s feet.
The intensity of the sighting eventually peaked. The juvenile male made his descent right when the persistent buffalo was diverted by the other lions. He re-joined the pride with his tail between his legs and a look of relief on his face.
At the Zimanga nature reserve, two lions make the mistake of actively attacking the muscular buffalo herd. The buffaloes gathered and joined forces to chase the two lions running in opposite directions. The lion’s defeat was captured by Swedish wildlife photographer Staffan Widstrand.
According to Staffan, the whole area was once a large cattle ranch. Over time, this place was gradually invaded by natural plants and attracted grazing animals like wild buffalo to feed. In the last two years, lions have been brought to the sanctuary. This is the first time the buffalo herd has encountered a lion in Zimanga.
“At first, the buffalo herd was scattered before the lion’s pursuit. Then they thought ‘hey, wait, we are outnumbered and bigger than that young lion’, so they chased the lion back. . The predator suddenly became the hunted,” said Staffan.
According to the photographer, after running for a while, the lion realized the situation seemed unreasonable and turned around. They continued to hunt and then rest and attack again for a long time until nightfall. Both the lion and the buffalo decided to rest. A few days later, the lion killed the first buffalo, Staffan said.
The African bush buffalo, also known as the Cape buffalo, is one of the Big Five, along with the lion, leopard, rhinoceros and elephant. This buffalo can weigh 1,000 kg. Buffalo is widely distributed in eastern and southern Africa and is not an endangered species.
Buffalo is one of the few creatures in Africa that can cause trouble for lions. Their large horns and massive body mass make them formidable opponents. Lions have to take risks when they want to win hundreds of kilograms of buffalo meat.
The incident continued for about 15 minutes. Then, the cry of Dark Mane Avoca caught the attention of the lions and turned to chase away the buffalo.
After the incident, the tour group left with mixed emotions, Kelbrick shared. When they returned at the end of the day, they found Dark Mane Avoca still with the Nkuhuma herd but severely injured. “Despite our grief, we should always remember that this is a wild place, nature is sometimes cruel and survival will always be a battle. The male lion has survived the past four years with a limp. and will fight to the last breath,” Kelbrick said.