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Matthew Steyn caught this tense interaction between these three animals while visiting the Kruger National Park with his family.
He said they “stopped in the riverbed to watch a herd of buffalo. Amongst the herd, we noticed a brand newborn calf that was just starting to learn how to walk”.
The buffalo weren’t the only animals that were lurking in the riverbed, however, as Matthew and his family quickly noticed. Hiding in the brush, and waiting for an ambush opportunity, was a hungry leopard.
Lying In Wait
Matthew didn’t mention how long the leopard was waiting for an opening to attack, but he did say that eventually “the rest of the herd seemed to move off slowly, leaving the mother and calf behind”.
For a hungry leopard, this was the time to strike. The calf was so young as to be the perfect target, and with only its mother for protection it was vulnerable.
Patiently, the leopard waited for the buffalo to come closer to its hiding spot, giving it the opportunity to leap from the bush with a lightning strike and secure a tasty meal.
Pincer Maneuver
The buffalo weren’t completely unaware, as the mother could obviously smell something. She made her way slowly to the leopard’s hiding place, zeroing in on its location with her sense of smell.
Unfortunately, while she was busy trying to locate the potential threat, a male lion appeared in the distance, closing in on the pair. Suddenly the buffalo were facing attack from two directions, and the mother would have to protect her calf alone.
Isolated From The Herd
Buffalo are extremely protective of other members of the herd. When they’re all together, they keep themselves safe by forming a tight circle around vulnerable members of the herd, and presenting their horns to the attacking predator.
Their size and strength makes them extremely difficult prey once they’re alerted to a threat. Their horns are powerful weapons, and they can throw big cats around with their powerful muscles.
This mother didn’t have the help of the herd however, and would have to use different tactics to protect her calf. She rooted out the leopard and gave chase to it straightaway.
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A Mother’s Protection
Matthew and his family watched as she “chased the leopard away, unknowingly, right into the lion!” With the buffalo distracted, the lion had managed to sneak up so close that it was almost ready to pounce itself.
Neither of the uncoordinated predators even had the opportunity to attack the calf when faced with the rage of its mother. After chasing away the leopard, the mother seamlessly changed targets to the lion, giving no clue to the surprise she must have felt at its presence.
Hungry Predators
Both leopards and lions are ambush predators, but leopards in particular rely on stealth as they lack the strength or stamina for a drawn out engagement. Lions are stronger, but they can be gored just as easily by the buffalo’s horns, so this one keeps its distance for a bit.
It’s likely that the leopard left in search of easier prey once it got chased away, but the lion didn’t seem likely to give up so easily. Matthew said they “lost sight of the lion following the calf into the bush”, where it may have attempted another attack.
Life in the Kruger can be difficult for many animals, but we can hope these buffalo made it safely back to their herd, where they would have had a better chance for survival.