Jean Graham from Discover Kruger Safaris related the heartbreaking scene to Latest Sightings.
Some sightings are easier to witness than others, and some definitely pull at heart strings. This was one such sighting.
Here, some male lions could be seen feeding on a dead baby elephant. Knowing the special bond elephants share, one could only imagine the heartache experienced by the herd when the little elephant died.
However, in nature all animals, including carnivores, must eat to live. It is the way of the wild; even though such scenes are heartbreaking to witness.
Mystery surrounds details of young elephant’s death
The pride, consisting of three male lions, lounged around alongside the elephant carcass. One of them actively fed from the dead animal. The other two lay sprawled out, no doubt with full stomachs.
Jean’s concern was about the young elephant. “In all honesty, we are not too sure how the lions managed to get the baby elephant,” she said. “Elephants are very protective of their calves, and for lions to hunt them would be very risky and improbable. We are not sure if the calf was just found by the lions or if they miraculously took it down. The baby might have had a disease and passed away. There were no other elephants around, so this would be our best guess.”
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The circumstances around the baby elephant’s death remained a mystery as the spectators watched the aftermath of the tragedy. The lions had settled in nicely and were at peace as they enjoyed their feast, beneath the shade of some trees.
The somber moment was offset by the majesty of the lions. Male lions are always impressive to see, and spending some time watching them, it is not hard to understand why they are called The King of the Jungle.
Jean relates how the lions had been feeding on the same carcass for some time already. “All three of the male lions had eaten well overnight,” she says.
This must’ve been the reason why their bellies were visibly full.
One of them continued to feed with great zeal. The others seemed not to be able to take another bite. For them, the shade of the tree provided the perfect opportunity to catch a few winks.
The lion which had been feeding then stood up and tried to pick up the carcass with his teeth. He had little luck.
He adjusted his position and tried again… but still, with no success.
While this was a baby elephant, even young elephants are not small animals. Even at birth, a baby elephant can weigh 100 to 150kg.
Carcass attracts scavengers
Jean related how they had gone back to the same site later to see what progress had been made by the lions on the carcass.
By this stage, the carcass had started to attract different scavengers, like vultures, hyenas and jackals. There was still no sight of the little elephant’s herd.
However, the three male lions were still there. They continued to lie alongside the carcass, bellies still bulging from a good feed.