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Life in the wild is difficult, especially for younger animals that haven’t reached their full strength or size. For this young hippo, life got extremely dangerous when a hungry lion started eyeing up its mother for a meal.
This footage, provided by Private Kruger Safaris in 2016, shows how these animals never stop fighting for survival, and how courage, even from vulnerable creatures, can make a huge difference in their lives.
A Difficult Period
These two hippos were already experiencing pressures to their struggle for survival even before the arrival of the hungry lion. A drought in Kruger National Park caused the water levels to drop, affecting the availability of food and territory.
Stronger hippos forced the weaker ones out of the precious water that is vital for their survival, preventing them from drinking in the hot environment.
The mother in this footage is clearly suffering from weakness, as she barely moved when the lion approached and seemed unable to rise to the task of defending her baby.
A Dangerous Defiance
With its mother seemingly out of action, the task of defending the family fell to the baby hippo. While young, the size difference between it and the lion meant that this was not as daunting a task as it might initially seem.
The lion might have been an apex predator, but hippos are much stronger than their appearance might suggest, and their powerful jaws make for a dangerous weapon at any age.
Guard Duty
The lion was a crafty beast, and it could choose its angle of attack, while the defending hippo had to stay close to its mother to defend her. It had been drawn away by the lion, but it hurried back to her side to ensure that it kept her safe.
To do so, it had to turn its back on the lion, even if only momentarily, which was a dangerous decision that could have meant the end for it. Perhaps it was a sign of inexperience, to show its back to a dangerous predator certainly doesn’t seem like a good idea for continued survival.
The opening was all the lion needed to attack, and it sank its claws into the hippo’s hindquarters, but despite this, it was unable to slow or stop the hippo, meaning that the young animal made it to its mother’s side.
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The Last Stand
Once there, it turned back to face the lion in an open show of defiance. The big cat, faced once again by the powerful jaws of the hippo, turned to the side and appeared to be unwilling to continue the attack.
The baby hippo had successfully fended off an apex predator, managing to keep itself and its mother safe, but the natural world did not reward such determination.
Winning a last stand against environmental conditions was impossible, and although both mother and child survived the lion attack, they perished soon after as a result of the drought and starvation.
As Earth’s climate continues to change, weather conditions might render moments such as these more likely, increasing the survival pressures on animals that are already at their limits.