Remember the movie Dumb and Dumber? Well, in this sighting it was difficult to tell which of the species was dumber: the zebra which walked straight into a pride of lions… or the lions, which failed to make a kill, even though ‘lunch’ had practically shown up on their doorstep.
This incredible sighting was filmed on the H6, near the Satara camp.
Watch The Sighting:
We all have our ‘off days’, and it seems the same applies to animals.
Zebra Walks Straight Into Pride Of Lions
This sighting was definitely one for the books.
A lone zebra headed towards the road. The animal walked quite steadily onto the road for a few steps, but seemed to become hesitant for a few moments. Something had disturbed its peace.
However, it brushed off whatever had concerned it, and continued to walk towards the long grass on the other side of the road.
As it neared the long grass, it showed further signs of hesitancy, perhaps sensing impending danger.
However, once again, it chose to continue walking.
Thankfully, its reflexes were functioning very well.
Within that same grass, a pride of lions was resting. The zebra walked straight into the heart of the pride, only realising too late that it had walked into the middle of a pride.
The long grass had hidden the lions from view. Even passing motorists may have missed the lions in the tall grass, so you could hardly blame the zebra for not being aware of their presence.
While it had sensed something wasn’t right, it hadn’t expected this chance encounter with the lions.
Lions Catch Zebra Off Guard
The lions caught it quite by surprise. They sprang quickly to action and made their presence known in a moment.
Fortunately for the zebra, it had its wits about it and started to sprint straight away. While the lions had been fast to react, the zebra’s reaction was faster.
The zebra ran off into the bushveld with a few lions on its tail.
They didn’t manage to catch it, however. It escaped by a miracle and disappeared from sight.
Male Lion Stands To Attention
Perhaps the crowning moment of the sighting was a large male lion standing up in all its glory following the unexpected encounter. It stood almost stunned and looked ahead, possibly thinking, “What just happened?”
More than likely, the pride had been having an afternoon rest, which explains why they weren’t quite in top form when the zebra stumbled upon them.
Incidentally, zebras have remarkably fast reflexes, which are essential for survival in the wild.
As prey animals, their nervous systems are wired for quick responses to threats. When a predator approaches, like a lion or hyena, a zebra can react almost instantly, often kicking with great force or sprinting away at speeds up to 65 km/h.
These reflexes help zebras dodge attacks and weave through stampeding herds.
The zebra had literally faced death and experienced a complete miracle within a single moment. Still, this incredible sighting is a reminder to check before crossing the road.