Despite having a reputation for being strong and powerful, a lion is just as likely as a hyena to try and take advantage of someone else’s fresh kill. This one even went through significant effort just to try and claim an unguarded carcass.
Caught on camera in the MalaMala Game Reserve, this beast focused fully on its less than dignified approach to getting a meal, and its opportunistic tactics definitely paid off for it!
An Unusual Looking Raft
The lion clearly spied a whole meal lying just off shore, but it wasn’t clear if anything was guarding that meal, or whether there might be other predators lurking nearby.
Given that the carcass was floating in the water it would be reasonable to believe that it was an aquatic animal that had killed it, like a crocodile, and that such a beast might still be lurking just beneath the surface of the water.
If that was the case then the crocodile would take a very dim view on the lion’s attempted theft, and from beneath the surface of the water it would be able to attack without the lion even knowing for sure what was going on.
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A Substantial Risk
The whole meal might have been lying there unclaimed, and the lion would be able to eat it without needing to put any effort into hunting and killing the kudu itself, but wading into the water carried substantial risk.
The lion paused for the moment at the edge of the water, looking as if it was considering taking a drink while it weighed up the pros and cons of swimming out to the kudu carcass.
The big cat’s stomach must have been growling, because after only a little deliberation the lion decided that the potential for an easy meal was worth the risk of unseen strangers attacking.
A Very Nervous Cat
This lion was clearly very aware of the great danger that it was subjecting itself to. Several times it made to seize the carcass in its jaws only to break off and carefully scan the area around it.
Crocodiles are threats to young lions, and many of them learn a healthy wariness around opaque water, but a large hippo suddenly appearing could be just as catastrophic for this hopeful lion, so it was trying to maintain awareness as it secured the kudu.
Finally, the lion managed to get a secure enough hold on the carcass that it was able to drag it back towards the shore. It revealed its true strength in how easily the lion dragged the kudu through the water, and lifted the sodden remains out onto dry land.
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The Spoiled Spoils
Once out of the water, the lion didn’t stop, likely not feeling safe to settle down to its meal until it was far enough away from the water that aquatic competition was no longer a threat.
How long the kudu had been floating in the water wasn’t exactly clear, but it looked like it might have been slowly drifting for quite a while. There must have been some good meat left on it for the lion to want it, but it might not have been as much of a filling meal as it appeared.
It was definitely an impressive display of strength, however, and of just how much danger these animals are prepared to risk in an effort to win a meal and a full stomach.