Everyone needs to learn, especially if you're a pride of lion cubs taking down your first buffalo.
Christof Schoeman told Latest Sightings that he had gone in search of the Nharhu pride, which consisted of three lionesses with their ten six-month old cubs, when he came across this scene in the Kruger National Park.
"It’s always a dramatic occasion when you stumble across predators doing what they do best! It was such a privilege to watch a sighting like this unfold, but some might not be able to stomach it, it’s not for the faint-hearted," he said.
A professional field guide, Schoeman said that it was late in the afternoon when they approached the area with a dust cloud hanging overhead. Believing they were witnessing a stand-off between the lionesses and a herd of buffalo, they waited to see what happened.
The herd headed away and as the dust cleared they saw the lionesses had caught a young buffalo. One of the lionesses then moved off towards the dam wall where the cubs were tucked away.
"She led them towards the buffalo and that’s when the real action started to happen. It was heartbreaking for the young buffalo, but quite comical to watch the young lions learn the art of killing. Every now and then, one of the mothers would perform a maneuver where they use their deadly claws to grab hold of the hind neck and wrap those massive jaws around the buffalo’s throat, then let go. This was simply to show and teach the cubs, for them to be able to mimic the same behavior.
"I felt sorry for the prey, but I knew how crucial it is for the predators to get protein and gain energy in order to survive the harsh elements of an open ecosystem," he said.
WATCH | School of the hunt: 10 lion cubs take on buffalo calf
Everyone needs to learn, especially if you're a pride of lion cubs taking down your first buffalo.
Christof Schoeman told Latest Sightings that he had gone in search of the Nharhu pride, which consisted of three lionesses with their ten six-month old cubs, when he came across this scene in the Kruger National Park.
"It’s always a dramatic occasion when you stumble across predators doing what they do best! It was such a privilege to watch a sighting like this unfold, but some might not be able to stomach it, it’s not for the faint-hearted," he said.
A professional field guide, Schoeman said that it was late in the afternoon when they approached the area with a dust cloud hanging overhead. Believing they were witnessing a stand-off between the lionesses and a herd of buffalo, they waited to see what happened.
The herd headed away and as the dust cleared they saw the lionesses had caught a young buffalo. One of the lionesses then moved off towards the dam wall where the cubs were tucked away.
"She led them towards the buffalo and that’s when the real action started to happen. It was heartbreaking for the young buffalo, but quite comical to watch the young lions learn the art of killing. Every now and then, one of the mothers would perform a maneuver where they use their deadly claws to grab hold of the hind neck and wrap those massive jaws around the buffalo’s throat, then let go. This was simply to show and teach the cubs, for them to be able to mimic the same behavior.
"I felt sorry for the prey, but I knew how crucial it is for the predators to get protein and gain energy in order to survive the harsh elements of an open ecosystem," he said.
MORE
WATCH | 'That was a bit too close': large lion pride strolls past man's car
WATCH | World's first artificially-conceived lion cubs born in SA
WATCH | Close encounter with Kruger lion: he wants to get in!
WATCH | What would you do if the Kruger's 'biggest' pride of lions came right at you?
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos