With an adult body weighing from 500kg to 1 ton, the African buffalo is like a solid tank capable of knocking all enemies away with its sharp horns.
Mature buffalo horns are typical of the species. Not only are they sharp, they almost form a bone shield on the buffalo’s head, giving it extra safety when confronting predators.
The encounters between lions and buffalo are often very fierce and unpredictable, because each side possesses weapons that make the opponent wary. In many cases, lions thought they had won a “fatty” meal, but lost it at the last minute before the resilience and teammates of the buffalo.
Below is a video recording a wild buffalo’s spectacular escape when it had to fight not only 1, but 4 adult lions in Kruger National Park (South Africa).
It can be seen in the video that, despite fighting fiercely in the midst of the lions’ siege, the buffalo quickly surrendered and fell to the ground.
However, the arrival of the buffalo herd changed the situation. After keeping a safe distance for a while, they probably felt the pain and despair of their fellow humans, so they decided to rush into the lions with their sharp horns.