A coalition of male lions hunt buffalo and risk it all for a meal when they go head-to-head with one of Africa’s most feared.
54-year-old wildlife photographer Nick Dale was able to watch the entire scene unfold and shared the story and images with LatestSightings.com.
“There’s a lion fighting with a buffalo! Our driver cried, holding his binoculars and looking in my direction. Let’s go! He tore off into the Serengeti, bouncing around like crazy as we headed towards the action, ignoring the park rules by going off-road! He was driving so fast that my bean bag flew up into the air. Thank goodness I was holding on to my camera, or I might’ve lost them both!”
When out on a game drive in any of the magnificent wildlife reserves Africa has to offer. It is not every day that the first thing you will see is a fierce battle between predator and prey. That is the amazing thing about going on safari you will always be in suspense for what may transpire.
“I couldn’t see what was going on, but our driver kept up a running commentary until we eventually got close. He asked me where he should position the car, but it didn’t matter as we could plainly see a lion grabbing the haunches of a buffalo only 10 yards away!”
“My heart racing, I immediately started taking pictures. I took so many, in fact, that my camera couldn’t cope and started to slow down! I had to stop every now and then to allow it to write the files to the memory card. Patrick and Yvonne were my guests I suggested to Yvonne that she take a video. For five or 10 minutes, the lion hung on with its claws and teeth. The buffalo desperately tried to escape.”
Male lions are not famous for their hunting skills. Typically, the females of the pride hunt, with male lions assisting with larger prey. This situation was different, there were no females to be seen in the immediate vicinity.
“Eventually, two more male lions arrived to help out and managed to take down their prey. However, the buffalo somehow managed to get to its feet again, and the struggle continued. We drove around a bit to get the best view. Finally, one more lion joined in, and the buffalo sank to the ground for the last time. One of the lions clamped his jaws around the animal’s neck and then its mouth to suffocate it.”
“We were in a great spot, with the sun behind us and all four lions lined up behind the carcass.” What a sight! I’ve been on over 250 game drives in Africa in the last 10 years, and I’ve never seen a Cape buffalo killed before. I’ve also never seen a male lion make a kill—let alone four of them!”
