It had appeared it was game over for a poor buffalo surrounded by members of the Birmingham Breakaway pride. However, the other members of the buffalo herd would have none of it. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle for the buffalo.
Pride of lions target buffalo
Lions are known for their teamwork. When they attack a targeted prey, they function as a well-oiled machine.
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The pride had isolated one of the buffalo and prepared to attack.
Hunting a buffalo can be risky for lions, which is why they will work as a pride to pull one of the large creatures down. There are many risk factors in the hunt, such as the horns and the buffalo’s powerful kick.
Lions close in on buffalo
The lions came out in numbers, and well-versed in killing, knew to go for the buffalo’s throat and hindquarters.
They could be seen wrestling with the buffalo, which resisted their attacks, using its horns as its primal method of defense.
However, there was more than one lion involved in this stealth ambush. The buffalo was unable to run away as the lions surrounded it. The predators used their claws, powerful jaws, and formidable strength to close in on it and weaken it, for the purpose of bringing it to the ground.
This was when the narrative took an unexpected turn. Lions may be members of a pride, but buffalos are part of a herd! Much as pride members are loyal to one another, buffalo herd members display loyalty to other members of the heard.
Out of the bushes, buffalo came charging towards the lions which had congregated around their intended prey.
The buffalo were not shy in flashing their fierce horns. These lions must’ve known from previous encounters with the species that a confrontation with the piercing horns was to be avoided. Most of the pride members scattered in a single moment.
The buffalo herd members now stood alongside the buffalo which had been marked as ‘prey’. However, one of the lions, a male lion, still clung to its neck, not about to let go so easily. He possibly reasoned he had made it this far; he might as well hold on.
Buffalo thrusts male lion off of friend
One of the buffalos, in using his horns as a weapon, lifted the male lion up and threw him off the herd member. The moment showed forth the buffalo’s incredible strength, the power of its horns and also the power of its loyalty to its friend.
The male lion quickly disappeared into the bushes. He had been suitably humbled and wasn’t about to risk further confrontation.
The buffalos had successfully made this area of the bushveld a ‘lion free zone’.
It was miraculous watching them basking in their victory and realising that though targeted as prey, animals don’t always consent to being the prey and many times, fight back.
It is not unusual for buffalo to defend each other in this manner and it heartwarming when they do. Here, the unwritten code of loyalty among herd members was on full display.