Marc Cronje sent in this sighting after filming the interaction in the Grootkolk Wilderness Camp in the Kgalagadi National Park. Marc leads birding and wildlife tours around the world, but seeing moments like this is still enough to fill him with awe.
As Marc told Latest Sightings, he and his brother knew there were lions in the area, as they heard them “roaring quite close to our safari tent in the night”.
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In the morning they spotted the three males keeping an eye on them from a nearby watering hole, but lions weren’t the only predators they were about to see. It wasn’t long before they also “saw a brown hyena approach the waterhole”, apparently unaware that it was guarded.
A Rare Occasion
Spotting a brown hyena is, in itself, a cause for celebration as the low number of them living in the wild makes them rarer than other hyena species. They are also nocturnal, so spotting this one in the morning meant it was out and about at an unusual time.
If the hyena knew that there were lions nearby it would likely have been more cautious as it headed for a drink. Unfortunately the lions spotted it first, and Marc and his brother watched “as they started getting ready to stalk and catch the hyena”.
This thirsty hyena was about to find itself in a very dangerous situation it wasn’t prepared for.
Doing Their Job
Lions are territorial, just like all other cats from leopards to house cats, and a key role of males in the pride is to ensure their territory remains unchallenged.
While the females go hunting, males keep an eye out for other prides and predators that might encroach on their space, and they make sure that those intruders learn not to do it again.
The rivalry between lions and hyenas runs deeper still. As they compete for the same prey in the same areas, the mere presence of one is enough to present a threat to the other.
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Predatory Competition
Due to the considerable size difference, lions often come off better in the fights that occur when the two meet. The hyena, no doubt aware of this, turned to run as soon as it became aware of the big cats stalking it.
One of the lions gave chase immediately, showing exactly why the cats tend to come out on top in these encounters. It caught up with the hyena almost effortlessly, and it had the size and strength to dominate it completely.
A Fatal Mistake
The unlucky brown hyena put up a short fight, but against a single lion it had little chance. While the first lion was ferocious enough to bring it to the ground, the other two stayed close enough to support if the hyena somehow broke free.
What made the sighting more memorable for Marc was that the direction the hyena fled took it directly towards him and his brother, and “by the time the lion brought it down, they were right in front of” the pair.
Watching sightings like these play out up close and personal can be an amazing experience, although seeing a rare animal like a brown hyena killed for trying to get a drink can be emotional.
