Watch the sighting here:
Steyn Jacobsohn captured the drama on video and submitted his account to Latest Sightings. He witnessed it while on a game drive in the Mjejane Private Game Reserve, on the banks of a dam.
Angry residents
Steyn’s video commences with a young lone male lion on the riverbank. Then it cuts to three mature male lions running through the bush, calling as they go.
In the background, a herd of elephants are visible and trumpeting in alarm at the sight of the lions. Then, the herd sets off in pursuit…
Thinking this might be the drive’s highlight, he moved on to a nearby coffee shop. Little did he realise the highlight was yet to come.
A lone interloper
Steyn said when they found a lion resting near a dam, it became apparent why the three other lions were so agitated.
Unfortunately for the lion, the three dominant males found him too.
“Get out!”
Initially, the resident trio threatened the intruder with posturing and vocalisations. Often, competing males will do this to avert violence and possible injury.
However, at this moment the elephants arrived causing the lions to scatter and giving the lone male a temporary reprieve.
Warning unheeded
When the elephants calmed down, the three returned to deal with the intruder. Surrounding him, they viciously attacked.
Unable to defend itself against three aggressors, the lion was helpless as they bit him repeatedly on his back, belly and limbs.
Enraged elephant
Upset by the commotion of the fight, one of the elephants returned, breaking up the fight once again. While the three males fled, the lone male remained behind.
Too injured to flee, all it could do was wait and hope.
Not done yet
Unfortunately for him, the trio were not done yet, for when the elephant retreated, they quickly returned. Again, they set upon the helpless loner inflicting further damage.
A new intervention
It seems the elephants were not the only local heavies upset by the ruckus. A large hippo bull emerged from the dam and made its way towards the lions to investigate.
Once again, this caused the three attackers to back off. Sadly for the loner, the hippo gave only a cursory glance at its battered body before turning back to the water.
No mercy
As the battle progressed, the elephants again tried to chase off the lions but as before, when they retreated, the lions returned.
And each time they did, they preceded their next assault with loud vocalisations as if warning all of the perils that await intruders.
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Crippled
Inevitably, as the injuries mounted, a bite to the spine crippled the lone male. In one of the video’s most tragic moments, he drags his hindquarters while defiantly facing his foes.
It would be a brave last stand. After another vicious mauling, the trio seemed to have decided they had made their point.
Without so much as a backward glance, they walked off leaving the loner to his fate.
Fatal injuries
Clinging onto life, the lion’s numerous injuries are plain to see as it limps a short distance before gingerly lowering itself to the ground.
Eventually, the lion succumbed to its injuries. Despite putting up a brave defence, he never really had a chance against the bigger residents.
Final contribution
The predator’s final role in the circle of life was to provide sustenance to the scavengers that soon arrived.
The show must go on
As Steyn’s experience shows, while we may assume the drama is done, in Nature there is often a surprise or two in store. Much of the joy of viewing wildlife is that there is no script and what you see is exactly as Nature intended it.