Sian Green, freelance guide, sent this footage to Latest Sightings along with the story of the old buffalo. She said that the buffalo, an old dagga boy, had just survived “a long fight with a pride of lions”.
Dagga boys are older buffalo that typically lead solitary lifestyles, showing that this one had done well to endure an attack from a lion pride and come out the other side.
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After fighting off the lions, the buffalo must have wanted nothing more than a nice rest, but as Sian said, “Mother Nature wasn’t done with him” yet. A lone hyena, likely attracted by the sound of the fight, came nosing around and went for its testicles.
A New Challenger Enters the Ring
Hyenas are known for their scavenging behavior, and they often appear nearby when other predators have made a kill. Sometimes they are bold enough to snatch food under a lion’s nose.
Like many scavengers, hyenas follow other predators during their hunts, letting them put in the work and moving in to go after the scraps. They’re also quick to investigate the sounds of a struggle, hoping to find an easy meal.
It was unclear whether this one followed the lions or was alerted by the loud calling of the buffalo during the fight, but when it arrived and found the buffalo exhausted, it must have decided to finish the job by itself.
A Long Night Gets Worse
Despite their reputation for scavenging, hyenas are more than willing to hunt for their food when opportunity arises. Clearly, a lone hyena would struggle with an animal as large as this buffalo.
This hyena decided to take the risk, knowing that the buffalo was already tired after going through a brutal clash against lions earlier.
The hyena approached from behind the buffalo, staying out of the way of the dangerous horns on its head. It was prepared to strike, looking for a spot soft enough where its bite would take hold.
Playing Dirty
While hunting, the purpose of any predator is to bring down its prey as quickly and efficiently as possible. The hyena was standing behind the buffalo, where it could easily target a sensitive spot without much risk of repercussions.
It’s relatively common for predators to attack areas like this, as it can immobilize the prey animal with pain and prevent them from running away or fighting back.
For this hyena, it was also the smartest option because of the size difference. Too small and light to overpower the buffalo, its only option was to target sensitive areas and wear it down even further.
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One Final Effort
This dagga boy had successfully fought off a pride of lions, and it wasn’t about to succumb to a lone hyena playing dirty. It reacted quickly to the hyena’s attack and spun to drive its large horns into the hyena’s face.
The hyena fled, but the buffalo had disrupted its attack, and it managed to prevent it from getting in close again, eventually leading to the hyena giving up.
The dagga boy had shown true endurance by fighting off two separate attacks in one night, but its survival after the sighting remains unknown.