An unidentified contributor filmed this video at a waterhole in South Africa’s Kapama Private Game Reserve.
A day at the lake
When a pride of lions made their way down to a local water hole, they may have planned to enjoy a refreshing drink. After that, they probably looked forward to a lazy siesta for the rest of the day.
However, when one of the pride’s sub-adult males went to drink, he was in for a bit of a surprise. As the young male thirstily lapped water, he wasn’t too concerned, casually taking in the scenery as he drank.
Happy hippos?
Meanwhile, a raft of hippos was cooling themselves in the water, initially ignoring the presence of the predators. Amongst them were a dominant bull, his cows and a couple of youngsters.
Now, as anyone who’s spent time in the African bush knows, hippos are more dangerous and unpredictable than they appear.
Eye contact
As the lion drank, the hippo, standing in the water, took a few steps toward the drinking lion.
While this got the lion’s attention, at first, he just continued slaking his thirst.
That escalated quickly!
Consequently, the big bull took exception to the fact that the lion had so far ignored him.
With that, the hippo upped the stakes and accelerated into a full-blown charge. As the hippo sent water spraying in all directions, he finally got the lions’ full and undivided attention.
Still not happy
Initially, it seems, the lion felt that it would be enough to simply stop drinking. However, as the hippo continued storming towards him, he moved slowly away from the water.
Still, the hippo stayed on the offensive and barreled after the retreating predator.
At this point, other members of the pride were also getting concerned at the sight of the approaching juggernaut. Subsequently, the lions scattered and nearly tripped over one another to avoid being trampled.
Only when the big, bad bull got to the water’s edge did he begin to slow down. Then, gaping to show off his massive canines as a further warning, he came to a stop.
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Peace restored
For their part, the lions continued to retreat before finally settling down when the hippo returned to the water.
With that, peace and order were restored at the water hole. While the lions retained their place as lords of the land, there could be no doubt who reigned supreme at this particular water hole.
Protective services
Hippos have a well-deserved reputation for being unpredictably aggressive. In this instance, the bull probably behaved that way to assert his territorial dominance. Hippos have been known to display similar aggression towards a wide range of species, from antelopes to elephants.
Additionally, he is fulfilling his role as protector of his harem of cows and their offspring. Even though the lions had in no way threatened them, this bull was taking no chances.
By asserting his dominance, his herd will remain bonded to him, improving his chances of continuing to reproduce with them.
It is worth mentioning that although lions in this area seldom hunt hippos, they may attack injured or young specimens in some circumstances. So, the hippos’ behaviour is not without some justification.