Ansie Ras submitted this video to Latest Sightings. The incident occurred in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
Stealthy approach
As we join the action, a lone lioness stalks through the long grass, her focus locked on unseen prey ahead.
With her eyes and ears focused on her target, she holds her body low to the ground. This, combined with her tan camouflage, helps her avoid detection.
Picking up the pace
As she remains undetected, she gets ever closer. In general, lions need to stalk as close as possible to their prey before launching a short-range blitz attack. This is because, despite a top speed of 80 km/h, they don’t have the necessary stamina for a prolonged chase.
A short while later, having determined she is within range, she picks up the pace and starts sprinting toward a wildebeest lying underneath a bush.
Despite the lioness breaking cover, the wildebeest remains unaware of its presence.
Fight begins
Too late, the wildebeest realises what is going on. However, it is unable to escape the lion, which launches itself at the still rising wildebeest.
Despite enjoying the element of surprise, the lioness doesn’t manage to get the wildebeest by the throat. As the wildebeest turns, she has to cling to its back to prevent its escape.
Still full of fight, the wildebeest is not about to make this easy for the lion. Bucking like a bronco, it tries to shake the lion off. At one point, it even tries to scrape it off against a nearby shrub.
Now, the outcome hangs in the balance. Should the lioness lose her grip, the wildebeest could well escape.
Help arrives
However, moments later, a second lioness arrives from the right, turning the tables decisively in their favour. To avoid injury, the new arrival waits for the right moment to grab the frantic prey.
As the first lioness and wildebeest spin, the second lioness wisely opts to jump onto the wildebeest’s hindquarters. Now, with a lion hanging from each end, the wildebeest’s prospects of survival are fading rapidly.
Flagging strength
In due course, the wildebeest’s strength begins to flag. Powerfully muscled, and each weighing around 150 kilograms, the predators hang on as their prey begins to buckle.
Even so, the wildebeest is not making it easy for its attackers. As it struggles, the first lioness momentarily loses its grip on her throat, only to grab it again, this time by the muzzle. Either way, the wildebeest is being deprived of much-needed oxygen.
Meanwhile, the second lioness has also repositioned herself and now tries to rip into the wildebeest’s soft belly.
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A rare success
Subsequently, through a combination of exhaustion, oxygen deprivation and possibly injury, the wildebeest collapse to the ground.
In less than a minute, the predatory pair have successfully brought their prey to the ground. As the video comes to a close, the first lioness continues to asphyxiate it, while the second prepares to feast.
This truly is a wonderful example of lion predation, made all the more impressive by the fact that it took place in broad daylight. In the Kruger National Park, only 30% of lions’ attempted hunts are successful, with most of those happening under the cover of darkness.