Watch the Sighting:
Game ranger, Callum Gowar, and his group were having a lovely day on their game drive so far, having spotted some lions in the morning. After their coffee break, they decided to revisit the lions, expecting them not to have moved as lions tend to lay about in the heat of the day.
Callum never could have predicted how the encounter was to unfold when they arrived back at the scene…
A Lazy Morning Turns into an Unexpected Hunt
Thankfully the lions were still where the group had left them in the morning, lounging about. After a few minutes, however, two of the lionesses began to stretch and yawn, which Callum recognized as signs the lions would become active.
Sure enough, the lionesses got up from their nap and began to make their way over to a nearby waterhole. As they neared, they crouched low and began to stalk a herd of impala taking shade in a thicket, the hunt was on.
Following proper safari ethics, Callum turned off the car’s engine and stayed a respectful distance as to not interfere with the hunt. As soon as he heard the impala making alarm calls though, he drove over as fast as he could!
The Warthog’s Incredible Fight for Survival
Nobody could believe their eyes, amongst all the chaos of the hunt, the lions managed to capture a warthog! This warthog was determined to escape death, kicking and squealing in a fierce battle to stay alive.
While it continued to struggle and kick, the lions wasted no time before digging in. It was quite gruesome to watch as they feasted on the warthog alive for fifteen minutes straight before its suffering finally ended.
Unfortunately for the lionesses, all the noise brought about by the warthog’s suffering attracted some other hungry predators.
Hyenas Arrive, and the Battle Begins
Initially, only three hyenas came to investigate the scene. They began to make intimidating cackles, slowly advancing on the lionesses and calling for reinforcements.
Soon more and more hyenas began to file in until there were fifteen! Once all the hyenas had gathered, the fight was on!
As they advanced on the carcass, one lioness was smart and booked it, knowing they were vastly outnumbered. The second lioness was right behind the first but wasn’t quite fast enough.
The hyenas managed to get a few good bites out of her before she could escape. Once the competition had cleared out, the fifteen hyenas swarmed the carcass, cleaning it off within minutes.
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Lessons from an Incredible Sighting
After leaving the sighting, Callum recounted how special the sighting was:
“This was probably my best sighting ever. Seeing a predator on predator interaction is special enough but to have a kill in it that makes it once in a lifetime.”
This sighting teaches us that nature is unpredictable, raw, and unforgiving. Every animal, prey or predator, must navigate a world where strength, strategy, and sheer luck determine survival.