Rikard Ryden, a 56-year-old entrepreneur from Wildlife Photography Sweden, witnessed nature’s brutality first hand when a serval kitten, separated from its mother, came face to face with a lioness.
The sighting was made possible by he and his fellow travelers decision to go out on an early morning drive. Oftentimes, leaving just that much earlier to search for games makes just that much difference as a lot of animal activity happens just before and around sunrise.
An early morning drive presents exceptional viewing
Rikard explained that he and his family had been driving around the Mara on an early morning when their guide, Mr Lenny Koshal, spotted a serval.
The serval wasn’t alone – she was with her kitten. Everyone in the vehicle was excited as it is very rare to see a serval, let alone one with its young.
Lionesses enter the scene
However, it soon became apparent that the servals weren’t alone. Two lionesses had entered the scene. The pair of lionesses sneaked into the bushes into which the servals had just disappeared.
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Said Rikard: “Our guide got a bit upset since he knew the serval kitten was in danger.”
Lioness confronts serval kitten
He said the tour group had driven right up to the lionesses, trying to disturb them. However, they had already set their sights on the servals.
“We saw the lionesses hurry to one part of the bushes, and the mother serval ran off. We drove around to see what was going on. The kitten was found by the lionesses! When we got there, the kitten was doing its best to scare the lioness away.”
The serval kitten did its utmost to scare an approaching lioness away, using every fibre of its being to fend off its attacker. It even charged the lioness, but it stood no chance against the ferocious beast.
“All of a sudden, the lioness just took the kitten and bit it.”
This tragic moment touched the spectators’ hearts and they vocalised their shock. For the lionesses, however, it was business as usual.
“We have not even seen a serval before,” said Rikard. “Our guide, who has been a full-time guide in Maasai Mara for 12 years, has only seen serval kittens on four occasions.”
He spoke of how rare it is to see a lion go after a serval.
Both lionesses sat to admire their trophy, in a tragic moment, which was a demonstration of the raw emotions which nature can provoke.
The lioness stood over the lifeless kitten. She stood composed, and her gaze remained focused. The struggle of a few moments earlier had not left her the slightest bit unruffled.
A moment of tragedy
The extent of the tragedy was highlighted by the serval’s mother’s response. She ran calling after her kitten, unaware that the little one was no longer alive.
“After kitten got attacked by the lion, the serval mother was running around looking and calling for the kitten and it was unfortunate when the mother realized the kitten was gone. When she saw the kitten, she took off.”
The triumph of the lionesses, and tragedy of the serval kitten’s fate and its mother’s heartache filled the same tentative, tender moment.