Trapped in rushing waters, a lone male lion finds itself surrounded by a group of nearly twenty angry hippos! In a gamble of life and death, will the king of beasts manage to outsmart the territorial giants in the water?
Watch the Sighting:
Steyn Jacobson is a co-owner and guide for South Post in Kruger National Park. He was resting at a coffee stop beside crocodile river in Mjejane Game Reserve when a jaw dropping encounter occurred.
Out of the corner of his eye, Steyn noticed some hippos acting strangely in the river. They were becoming increasingly angry and circling a large rock that stuck out amongst the rapids.
Steyn decided to take out his binoculars to investigate further. As he once again looked out to the river, he couldn’t believe his eyes: a male lion was perched on top of the rock!
Hippos Closing In
Ever so slowly, the hippos swam closer to the lion who looked visibly anxious perched on top of the rock. More and more pairs of eyes popped out of the water, ominously threatening the lion.
Steyn couldn’t believe his eyes! “I’ve seen some incredible sightings, but nothing quite like this”. The lion, who usually commands the savannah, now found himself helpless, desperately trying to evade the hippos’ imminent attack.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
Eventually, one hippo decided to take charge of the situation. It began swimming up to the rock with vicious intent.
As the hippo lifted its head and body out of the water, the lion’s muscles tensed, eyes locked on the encroaching danger. Not only did it hate the water, but if it jumped in, it would have to face nearly twenty other hippos.
A Leap of Desperation
All of a sudden, the hippo lunged, jaws gaping to strike at the helpless lion with terrifying precision!
The lion skittered to the edge of the rock, weighing its options: stay on the rock and face the jaws of the hippo, or face the cold, dangerous water. Before it could decide, the hippo attacked again, forcing the lion to launch itself into the raging river.
With the lion frantically swimming for safety, the angry hippos were determined not to let him off so easily. Almost at the shore, another hippo shot out of the water, just barely missing the lion with its powerful jaws.
As the lion finally made it safely to shore, Steyn reflected on how lucky he was to witness such a wild encounter. “These moments are fleeting, and you never know when you might witness something truly special in the wild”.
The Power of Territory
The young male lion from this sighting is what is referred to as a nomad male. As dominant male lions defend their own territory, younger males will often set out on their own, roaming the wild until they are able to establish a territory of their own.
Hippos are one of the most aggressive defenders of territory in the wild. Not only do they threaten other hippos that encroach on their neighbourhood, but any animal that dares step food in their territory is fair game.
Hippos use the water to their advantage, bobbing up and down to count any intruders and blowing bubbles to inform other animals of their presence. In an unfortunate series of events, this lion was likely exploring opportunities for a new territory to rule when he accidentally stumbled into the hippo’s well-guarded territory.