Neil Coetzer was there to film the once-in-a-lifetime moment in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve.
Large pride of lions spotted by waterhole
Every now and then there are scenes which make a person do a double-take and ask, “Is this really happening?”
It was this way for Neil when he sighted what must’ve been the largest pride of lions he had ever seen.
The lions lay sprawled out in the open bushveld, taking in the warmth of the sun as they lazed alongside a waterhole.
Neil described the moment for Latest Sightings: “We arrived late in the morning to enjoy a rather large pride of lion resting at the waters edge.”
Extraordinary moment becomes all the more extraordinary
However, the sighting was about to become all the more unbelievable.
Neil described the moment: “Suddenly all the lions raised their heads and stared in the same direction.”
A giraffe bull had arrived at the water’s edge, for a drink of water.
It was hard to believe that the giraffe hadn’t spotted the lions lying nearby. There were so many of them!
Nonetheless, it lowered its head and started to drink. In this moment, the giraffe appeared rather foolish. This was really not the time to be assuming a vulnerable posture!
“The lions immediately went into full-on stalking mode,” said Neil, describing how the lions were now fully alert.
A giraffe might’ve been a big animal, but there were many lions and a pride of lions is fully capable of bringing down a giraffe; even one of this stature.
Some of the lions sat up. Others stood to their paws. Their attention was fixated on the giraffe.
Lions launch attack on giraffe
Neil described how the action unfolded: “The youngsters in the pride seemed to be over eager and initiated the chase. What a way to end the perfect morning in the bush!”
They chased after the giraffe, which seemed not to be so foolish after all!
Having the quick reaction time of Hamilton or Verstappen, the giraffe started to run as the lions clawed at its hide.
Watch more unbelievable moments
It’s hard to believe that there are any sightings to top this one, however, we regularly see the rare and seemingly impossible in the submitted sightings. We’ll keep you updated with the latest sightings through our updates WhatsApp group. Click here to join.
Giraffe escapes onslaught in miraculous escape
It continued to run, refusing to relent to the lions’ onslaught. Unbelievably, it managed to evade the attack, disappearing into the bushes. This was to the game viewers’ surprise. The lions didn’t get their larger-than-life feast after all!
A giraffe escaping a large pride of lions is an extraordinary demonstration of the animal’s size, strength, and resilience. Although lions are the only predators capable of regularly killing healthy adult giraffes, bringing one down is an enormous challenge which often requires the coordinated efforts of an entire pride. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.
Adult male giraffes can stand up to 5,5 metres tall and weigh as much as 1 900 kilograms, making them one of Africa’s largest land mammals. Their immense height allows them to spot predators from great distances, giving them valuable time to flee before lions can get close.
This giraffe had been vulnerable drinking from the waterhole but by keeping its wits about it, it had managed to escape from harm.
