Lionesses will usually hunt in prides to take down larger animals, like buffalo and elephants, however, this one was filled with bravado and underestimated the ability of the elephant to defend itself.
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The reason for her bravado was possibly the cubs she had with her, who were counting on ‘Mom’ for a meal.
Lioness ambushes elephant
A mother lion and her cubs were basking in the early morning light, near to the Somalisa Camp. The cubs were played with one another, before the mom decided it was time to move, and gathered her cubs together.
Together, they walked through the bush, a magnificent sight for travelers to the park.
Vigilant, with her cubs walking alongside her, the mother had her wits about her. Samuel describes how she suddenly disappeared into the thicket. What had caught her attention?
This was when the mighty screech of an elephant could be heard. The colossal creature was clearly the reason for her sudden disappearance.
When the lioness became visible again, she was clinging to an elephant; holding onto it tightly with her claws and muscular body.
While the elephant stayed standing, its screeches gave away its distress.
Samuel describes how the lioness was on top of the young elephant trying to bring it down. Usually lionesses will hunt in prides to bring down large animals, like buffaloes and elephant. A lone lioness will have trouble bringing an elephant to the ground.
The African elephant is the largest land animal, with adult bulls reaching a maximum recorded shoulder height of 3.96 metres and an estimated weight of 10.4 tons.
This elephant fought to free itself from the lioness’ tight grip; all the while, the determined mother lion clawed into the thick skin of the elephant, and bit at it with determination.
The elephant was clearly in pain, and it’s no wonder: there were moments when the lioness even bit at its trunk in a hideous ambush of the mammoth creature.
The elephant, however, didn’t allow pain to take away from its focus. It moved side to side and shook as much as it could to get the lioness to leave it alone.
Cubs wait nearby while the action unfolds
While all the excitement unfolded, the cubs lay hidden in the tall grass, watching as their mother tried to catch a meal.
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The wrestling continued, and the mother lioness even covered the elephant’s face with her body. With its eyes covered, it still thrashed about; with the cubs looking on.
Elephant frees itself from lioness
After a few moments of struggling to get the lioness off, the elephant eventually did manage to shake itself loose from the lioness’s grip. It made a hasty exit, and lioness and cubs were left without the colossal feast, but still with the day ahead of them where anything was possible.
“It was an intense moment trying to capture the event as the adrenaline was high and we were all so alert with all that was taking place,” says Samuel. “It’s never easy hearing the sound of a screeching animal fighting to survive. It was a case of mixed emotions and we were slightly relieved to see the young elephant escaping the grips of the lioness, although, witnessing the hunger of the cubs as they waited for their mother to bring home the meal – a contradiction of emotion that I had not quite felt before.”
Had she been hunting with her pride, as lionesses usually do, she might’ve been successful in pulling the elephant down and making a kill. This breathtaking sighting is a reminder of how strength is in numbers and hopefully this lioness will attempt her next elephant ambush with her lioness teammates in tow.