Lions chanced upon an elephant calf after it was separated from its herd. What followed was difficult to watch, highlighting Nature’s cruel beauty.
Rangers Mike Moth, Nic Nel, and Reggi Barreto submitted this challenging footage. They filmed it at South Africa’s MalaMala Game Reserve.
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Lions close in on calf
As we join the rangers and their guests at the sighting, blurred shapes are seen running through the bush. Suddenly, a male lion emerges behind an elephant calf.
Caught unawares, the calf squeals as it tries to escape. As it runs, the lion slips off its hindquarters and the chase begins.
Subsequently, more lions join the hunt, disappearing into thick vegetation.
Eager to see what happens next, the rangers follow the sounds of the panicked calf as they try to relocate the action.
Captured!
By the time they find them again, two of the lionesses are in the process of pulling down the calf. Simultaneously, a large male arrives, bringing with him added bulk and power.
Subsequently, a third lioness arrives, and the three sisters keep the squealing calf pinned to the ground.
However, since lions seldom hunt elephants, the pride struggles to figure out how to finish off their prey. One of the lionesses tries a classic throat grip, but the calf’s neck is too thick to effect asphyxiation.
As a second male arrives, a lioness takes the calf’s trunk in her mouth. Has she solved the mystery?
Need to feed
Although it takes some time, the poor calf eventually succumbs. With the hard work done, the lions settle in to feast.
But having taken so long to kill the calf, one cannot help but wonder whether hyenas will soon arrive, drawn by the earlier commotion. Perhaps with that in mind, the lions feed greedily.
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Unexpected arrival
However, the next creature on the scene is not one that you might have expected. As the lions focus their attention on their meal, a young elephant bull arrives on the scene.
While we’ll never know what brought him this way, his body language tells us he is alert and quite possibly in a fighting mood. When the lions finally notice him, they all stop feeding and watch the bull closely.
Revenge of a sort
Driven by curiosity, a couple of days later this bull approaches with his ears flared. As he does, the lions lose their nerve and abandon their prize.
However, when the bull doesn’t chase them, they turn, hoping to get their meal back. Seeing this, and perhaps also seeing the calf’s limp body on the ground, the elephant charges.
This time round, the bull’s intentions are clear, and as the video draws to its conclusion, we see him chasing the lions into the distance.
