Watch The Sighting:
In 2016, Penny Osborne was on safari in Kruger National Park, hoping to spot some exciting wildlife activity. As she was driving up the H1-4 near Olifants, she noticed many vehicles stopped along the road, a telltale sign of animal activity!
Penny scanned her surroundings until she spotted the source of the excitement: two male lions were lying near the roadside, crouched down as if stalking some prey. Penny knew that if she stayed put, she would hopefully be able to witness a hunt!
The Calm Before The Charge
As she traced the lion’s gaze, Penny spotted a herd of buffalo several meters away, steadily approaching the lions. These males must have spotted the herd and positioned themselves strategically for an ambush!
Lions will often use wind patterns to their advantage. If situated upwind, their prey has a much more challenging time detecting them.
The buffaloes continued their approach, unaware of the impending danger. Tensions rose as nobody could predict when the lions would finally strike.
Eventually, once the herd was only a few meters away, they paused. It seemed as though they finally picked up the lions’ scent.
Penny held her breath as the buffalo looked around, flaring their nostrils, unable to find the source of danger. The lions used this moment of confusion to their advantage and launched their attack!
Tourists in the Crossfire
In an explosion of power and dust, the lions broke from cover, targeting the buffalo herd with terrifying speed. Within seconds, the herd stampeded away in a desperate attempt to escape.
Penny watched with wide eyes as the lions chased the herd towards the road lined up with cars! A second later, a loud ‘thunk’ could be heard, and Penny looked over just in time to see dozens of buffalo trampling one of the cars!
For a moment, all that was visible were hooves, dust, and a pileup of buffalo. A few seconds later, though, the last of them cleared off, and the dinged-up car was revealed to have been pushed right off the road!
Too Close for Comfort
As soon as the coast was clear and the stampede was far from the road, the driver of Penny’s vehicle immediately started their engine to go and check on the passengers of the trampled car. Luckily, none of the passengers were hurt in any capacity, although everyone’s nerves were certainly rattled that day.
The vehicle remained intact but was dented and scuffed from the hooves and horns of the buffalo, who seemed to also leave the encounter unscathed.
The Power of the Predator
Lions are strategic hunters that often rely on ambush and intimidation tactics. When they decide to strike, few animals can stand their ground.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
Due to their large size and sharp horns, buffalo, however, are among the few capable of fighting back. This makes lion-buffalo encounters some of the most dramatic and dangerous in the savannah.
No matter how peaceful a scene might appear, action can erupt at any moment. The best way to experience the wild is with respectful distance, trained guides, and, above all, reverence for nature’s unpredictability!