A large male giraffe narrowly avoided becoming the next meal of a large pride of lions. Dropping its guard to drink, the giraffe only noticed the advancing lions moments before they could press home their attack.
Captured by David Sher, he was en route to Xai Xai Campsite, near to Botswana’s Chobe River.
David says they had been driving across the flat landscape for some time when they encountered a pride of lions. Having not seen much else, he was thrilled to spend time with the pride. The lions were strolling at a leisurely pace, stopping occasionally to slake their thirst.
Then, writes David, “The calmness was soon disrupted as they spotted the giraffe. The change in their pace was instant. They went from lazily walking to laser-focused stalking, slipping into hunting mode!”
The video shows that the lions are locked onto the giraffe as they’re seen stalking parallel to David’s vehicle.
It is interesting to note that while the lead lionesses advance, others lie down at various intervals. Far from being haphazard, lions employ complex strategies while hunting.
In this case, it is possible that the following lions stopped to set up ambush points to cut off the giraffe’s possible escape routes.
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As two of the lead lionesses break into a run, we also see a third splinter off to the right. Once again, this is a strategic move to limit escape options for their target.
As the lions leading the attack advance, they almost seem to stumble over one another. It’s as if they can’t believe they’ve got this close without the giraffe noticing them.
But when it does, its reaction is instantaneous!
Until that moment, the giraffe had been drinking. They are particularly vulnerable at this time.
They have to spread their forelegs wide to lower their heads sufficiently to reach the water. Additionally, when they do so, they lose the height advantage that enables them to spot danger at a distance.
Finally seeing the lions, the giraffe takes off at full speed. Thanks to its long, powerful legs, giraffes can attain a speed of 60 km/h. However, lions are capable of speeds up to 80 km/h for short distances.
The difference in this instance appears to be stamina, which favours the giraffe. As the video concludes, we see the giraffe, literally galloping into the sunset. As it does, the lions give up their pursuit.
David reflects, “It was just beautiful to witness the sheer will to live from the giraffe and the lions’ instincts in play—even if they didn’t result in a kill.”
Given how the odds seemed stacked in the lions’ favour, it is strange that the giraffe escaped so easily. They had the element of surprise, ambush points established and sufficient numbers to overpower the giraffe.
This goes to show that we can never assume the outcome when watching animal interactions.
Giraffes are the tallest land mammals and largest ruminants on earth. Surprisingly, their long necks only have seven vertebrae; just like humans.
Across Africa, four species of giraffe exist. They are classified as “Vulnerable”, meaning they could go extinct. The main threat to their survival is habitat loss due to human encroachment.
It would be a great shame if we lost their distinctive silhouette against the sunset due to preventable circumstances.