However courageous the buffalo was, it didn’t succeed in its mission to be ‘invisible’ as it left the safety of the water of a waterhole where it had taken refuge. The large pride of waiting lions quickly closed in on it.
What made the sighting all the more memorable was that two white lions were a part of this large pride.
Caught between a rock and a hard place
Roan explained that they had been tracking the Birmingham lion pride on foot when they came across the incredible sighting. The lone buffalo had been bathing in the waterhole when the lions had approached it.
Lionesses usually hunt in prides and these lions came forward in numbers. They eyed the buffalo, crouching slightly as they walked forward, to display stalking behaviour. The buffalo had been marked as prey!
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Buffalo attempts to sneak past lions
The lions waited on the banks of the waterhole. While aware of them, the buffalo was determined to get out of harm’s way and reasoned the best way to do so, would be to sneak past them!
He left the safety of the water tentatively, as though walking on tippy-toes. If he was trembling inside, he did not show it. The spectators, however, possibly shuddered on behalf of the poor animal!
Unfortunately for him, however, there wasn’t much covering to hide behind as he left the water.
He walked in full view of the lionesses, which weren’t about to allow a free meal to pass them by. Noticing him, they jolted up into standing position and started to chase him.
He picked up pace, running with the entire pride tailing him in a full-speed chase.
Together, they approached the buffalo from all sides. The strength of the lion hunt is in the pride – and this lone buffalo was horribly outnumbered.
“Of course, we rushed in the direction of the commotion and found the lions taking down the buffalo,” said Roan.
Lions close in for a feed
The majestic creature was pulled to the ground in a moment, and his bellowing grew silent as the lionesses closed in for a feed.
“While they were keeping it down and other members suffocating it, a number of buffalo bulls came back to try to chase the lions off. Only one of the old lionesses did not flinch and kept holding on to the nose of the buffalo they had brought down,” Roan said. “Eventually, after a bit of a standoff, the pride reclaimed the buffalo and others chased the buffalo bulls away again. This was just pure excitement – it’s not every day that you can live an absolute documentary!”
He said the members of the pride ended up fighting with each other for the best spot on the carcass. “It was 23 lions feeding on one buffalo, so it only lasted until the afternoon.”
Roan said he would never forget the sighting, not just because of the sheer number of lions in the pride, but also because two of the only three documented wild white lions in the world were a part of the memorable kill.
And it all started with a brave – or foolish – buffalo, which refused to be intimidated!