When predators hunt, they need to be absolutely committed to the task at hand. As this video shows, any hesitation or uncertainty will invariably lead to failure.
Surita van Heerden submitted this video to Latest Sightings. She filmed it at Gasanftombi Dam on the H4-1 near Crocodile Bridge Gate, in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
Stampede!
We jump straight into the action in Surita’s video. On the banks of the Gasanftombi Dam, a herd of buffalo is seen stampeding.
At first glance, it is easy to miss the reason for their sudden flight. However, if you know buffalo, you’ll know that only one predator regularly presents a threat.
Ambitious
Sure enough, the predator in question soon follows in the buffalo’s dust. A lone female lion has broken from cover, spooking the buffalo as she looks for a suitable target.
In itself, this is odd. Despite being Africa’s largest land predator, for a lone lioness to go after adult buffalo is ambitious, to say the least.
Lions are most successful in hunting buffalo when three or more of them are involved. Their chances improve further when a male participates, due to their added size and strength.
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Zeroing in
As the buffalo thunder across the dry ground, the lioness focuses her attention on the back of the herd. There, she hopes to spot a straggler.
Since she is hunting alone, this is a good strategy. If she can spot a calf or injured adult in the mix, she may be in with a chance.
Use of terrain
To improve her chances of success, the lioness makes good use of the terrain. By forcing them to run through the thick mud at the water’s edge, she slows them down.
Additionally, she limits the escape routes available to her prey. Meanwhile, the panicked buffalo stay close together, making it harder for the lion to isolate a target.
Face plant
As the herd flees, one of the buffalo loses its footing and face plants into the dust. You can see it happening in the bottom left of the image below.
However, the lioness misses the opportunity, as she is looking for a victim at the back of the group. The buffalo is quickly back on its feet and keeps up with the rest of its comrades.
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Outpaced or outrun
Since the lion is faster than the buffalo, she keeps up with them easily. Lions have a top speed of 85 km/h, compared to 57 km/h for the buffalo.
However, the lion lacks stamina for a long chase. To have any chance of success, they need to bring down their prey within 400 metres.
Indecisive
Even though the lioness is right on their heels, she seems unable to select a viable target. With every step that she delays her attack, the buffalos’ chances of escaping improve.
With the nearest buffalo being a massive bull, she is hesitant to start something she would struggle to finish. Buffaloes routinely put up a staunch resistance when lions attack.
Accordingly, she makes the sensible decision to abort the hunt. As the video draws to an end, she takes a quick look over her shoulder for any stragglers.
Seeing none, she trots back to the dense vegetation to set up her ambush anew. Hopefully, her next target will be something more manageable.
