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Pieter van Wyk, a game ranger at the MalaMala Game Reserve sent in this extraordinary sighting of teamwork and camaraderie as a herd of buffalo faced a life or death scenario.
A pride of lions was on the hunt, and they were circling the herd looking for any young or vulnerable members they could pounce on for a good meal.
The buffalo, responding to the threat, herded together to present a wall of horns to the predators, one which the lions were unable to penetrate.
For a short time, the buffalo looked likely to succeed in deterring the lion attack without suffering any casualties.
Chinks In The Armor
A herd of buffalo is more than capable of repelling an attack by an entire pride of lions, which this one would need to prove if it was to retain all of its members.
The buffalo were defending themselves well, until they retreated to higher ground.
If the lions were keeping an eye out for a vulnerable member of the herd, they’d just found one.
This older male buffalo couldn’t get its leg high enough to climb, and was unable to join the herd at the top of the hill, or return to the bottom of the hill where the lions waited.
Trapped And Exposed
With likely looking prey presented, the lionesses began closing in once again. The position this buffalo was trapped in meant it couldn’t even fight back against the lions.
The perfect prey, it looked like it was going to be a quick hunt for the lions, with an easy meal on the menu. No doubt already licking their lips, they leaped up to the buffalo, attacking its back legs.
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A Herd Of Helpful Buffalo
Even though the rest of the herd was safely up the hill, they couldn’t seem to let the stricken animal’s cries for help go unanswered. As herd animals, buffalo know there’s safety in numbers, and these lions wanted to secure their meal, they were going to have to work for it.
Pieter caught this remarkable display of teamwork on camera as the rest of the herd came back down the hill to scare the lions away from their friend.
The lionesses weren’t willing to give up on a potential meal so easily so it took them a few times, but eventually the herd was able to keep the lions at bay for long enough for the older buffalo to finally get its leg up.
Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork
Safely amongst the herd once more, there was nothing the lionesses could do to stop their meal escaping. As the buffalo formed another wall of horns, the chance for the lions to succeed dropped considerably.
The lions are right to be wary of the buffalo, as with their superior numbers and dangerous horns, buffalo herd have been known to fight back against lions, even killing them.
This means the lions will have to go hungry for now, until they can find easier prey.