The humorous sighting shows that even the strongest animals have their weak moments.
Watch The Sighting:
It was filmed in the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve in the Greater Kruger National Park.
Lions Anticipate Peaceful Nap
Male lions can weigh up to 227 kg. They have powerful muscles and jaws designed for combat and dominance.
These two big boys lay side by side, basking in the sun and enjoying the peace and quiet. Male lions can sleep for up to 20 hours a day. They conserve their energy for patrolling, mating, and fighting. These lions were catching up on their rest.
That is, until a fly showed up. The creature was substantially smaller and without the muscles and jaw power. However, its presence was enough to disturb the lions.
Fly Disturbs Lions’ Peaceful Nap
The lions lay quite still as the buzzing of the fly ensued. Initially, it appeared that they were unperturbed by the fly’s presence. What is a fly when you can take on a wildebeest or impala?
However, the persistent little fellow continued to pester the sleeping lions. Eventually, one lion’s head snapped up. Enough was enough. The fly’s presence had become too much. Who was this who dared disturb his sleep? He was the King of the Jungle after all.
He swiped at the fly with a paw, but clearly missed the tiny creature. An impala would have been easier to catch than the buzzing intruder.
The pesky buzzing continued.
Annoyed Lion Keeps Watchful Eye On Fly
He now watched with mild annoyance as the fly flew around him. He clearly wasn’t able to get back to sleep.
Meanwhile, the lion next to him continued to nap quite happily. He was not as light a sleeper as his companion.
The lion, which the fly had successfully disturbed, was now fully awake and fully alert. Soon, his head was lifted. However, he wasn’t going to take the matter lying down.
He eyed the space in front of him, and while spectators could hear the fly, they couldn’t see it. The lion seemed to watch it intently, not quite sure how to approach the matter.
All his hunting training and experience hadn’t prepared him for a pesky fly. He couldn’t stop it by pouncing on it or catching it with his paws. This was an unfamiliar opponent.
Chance Encounter Leaves Spectators With Smiles
Spectators burst into laughter as the lion glared at his tiny adversary. This Goliath of a lion seemed to be at the mercy of a microscopic fly.
Laughter could be heard in the background as they watched the lion watching the fly. The King of the Jungle had been left suitably ruffled by one of the bushveld’s smallest creatures.
A male lion’s roar can be heard from up to 8km away. This fierce roar is used to communicate with pride members and warn off intruders. One wonders whether a mighty roar would have scared off this tiny fly or whether the fly is one of the few creatures that remains unmoved by the roar of one of the mightiest animals in the bushveld.