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Stefan Reynders sent in this sighting of an impala that had apparently escaped a pack of wild dogs by taking a desperate dip in the water. Finding itself alone, it lingered there, apparently wounded.
The impala, which was free to flee as it wished, barely moved at all, perhaps due to a wound, or perhaps because it was just enjoying a leisurely swim after a near death experience.
Unfortunately for this animal, it was, in fact, still in quite mortal danger as another predator approached what looked like a tasty meal.
Trouble In The Distance
It’s a testament to the stalking skill of lions that even on camera, they can be difficult to spot until they’re too close to avoid. This one displayed textbook hunting methods by creeping up on the impala from a distance.
By the time the impala even noticed the dangerous predator, it was far too late for it to escape. Especially considering the lion had a nice dry bank to leap from, while the impala was slowed by the depth of the water.
It seemed like it would be any moment that those hungry and powerful jaws would be closing around its unfortunate prey’s neck.
Textbook Take Down
Nevertheless, the impala did get a few seconds of warning that its life was in danger, and it even managed to put in enough effort to try and make a getaway.
Ultimately, though, it was a hopeless situation for the bathing impala, which found itself up against the burst speed of an ambush predator with a meal right in front of its nose.
Just as the lion displayed its stalking skills on its approach, now it showed its ability to ambush, leaping across the water and reaching the impala before it had a chance to take much more than a step.
One blow, and the hunt was over in moments, only mere seconds after the impala even realized just how much danger it was in. It looked like a nice and big meal for the lion.
A Successful Hunt
A little over a quarter of lion hunts are successful, with them having a far higher chance of securing a kill when they’re hunting in groups. For this lion to hunt and kill an impala, even a potentially wounded one, without any aid from its pride means it’s having a very good day.
It even had an audience for its feat. Stefan watched as the successful lion dragged its prey back to the shore, which was a job in itself because of the impressive size of the impala.
Despite this one securing itself and its pride another meal, lions more generally are struggling against a challenging world. They’re victims of illegal trading in wildlife, and their habitat has drastically reduced in size due to humanity.
Competitors like hyenas will attempt to steal from lions if they think they can, which means this lone hunter will need to get the impala back to the pride before they get the chance. Due to their size and strength, however, humans are a far bigger threat to lions than any competing predators.