A young buffalo was grazing, heading towards longer grass and creeping in that grass was a lioness on the hunt – they took each other by surprise in this funny sighting.
Kruger National Park, South Africa (23 August 2022) – A pride of lions on the hunt will take every opportunity to make the kill when it is safe to do so. A buffalo is considered a very good meal for a pride as it keeps everyone well-fed for several days.
The relationship between lion and buffalo is well-known. Usually, if a pride attempts to get a weaker buffalo from the herd, the herd will fight back and try to save the targeted buffalo – even going as far as killing the lion using its sheer strength and sharp horns. Naturally, the lion is a skilled hunter, and the element of surprise is usually what guarantees a successful, safe hunt.
In the case shared by Latest Sightings below, the element of surprise was taken away from this lioness, who was caught by surprise herself. Latest Sightings shared the incredible sighting that took place on the H1-4, close to Satara in Kruger National Park.
A young buffalo had not seen the lioness creeping along through the grass and walked straight towards her while grazing. They both froze and hesitated once they saw each other before running off.
48-Year-old investment specialist Faizal Shariff Noor witnessed this sighting with his cousin and nephew and shared the story with LatestSightings.com.
“We were driving back towards Satara for lunch when my cousin spotted lions in the distance and shouted to stop. The buffalo herd was sitting together and we saw the first two lions charge toward them, leaving them unsettled. We then noticed another lion approaching from the opposite side and were expecting an ambush.”
“Once the buffalo walked straight up to the lion, the chase kicked off and all we saw was dust with giraffe and the buffalos scattering. The lions returned unsuccessfully and the sighting ended with heaps of dust, and confused giraffes running away with the buffaloes – and dissatisfied hungry lions.”
“I’ve seen a few chases before but this was very rare – as it was so clear and open to observe.”
“We were all super excited and thought this was going to be our first kill. It was such an amazing sight! We were witnessing – not just a hunt – but what seemed like a perfectly planned strategy. We got anxious and thought the buffalo is walking straight into the jaws of death and then…well what a surprise!”
Take a look at the sighting below.
by 