The real story; Lions & Buffalo
After 13 years of guiding clients within the South African Nature, History and Culture Tourism industry; I have had plenty of time to see the real story of Lions hunting Buffalo.
The footage I wish to share with you shows the parts of Lions hunting Buffalo that the documentaries on TV won't often show you. This footage has been take over the past 5 years on our Hluhluwe Imfolozi Safari Tours from Durban.
Documentaries sensationalize the African Safari experience by showing only the last parts to hunts which are amazing however they don't often show the truth, risks, length and time it takes for Lions to make a successful kill.
Lions have to feed on average once a week. Once this time is extended beyond a week these majestic Cats begin to look condition. Basically their body will begin to digest fat supplies which is almost non existent on such a lean hunting machine. This in turn means that the cats muscle will then be digested and condition deteriorates incredibly fast! So fast that if they are unable to feed for as long as two weeks there usually is no way back and they die.
One needs to keep in mind that a Lion that is not contributing to the sustainability of the Pride due to being weak, will be left behind. It is a harsh reality but it is the truth! A sick, slow Lion can only be carried so long before the Pride decides they have to move and leave the weak one behind in order for them to succeed.
What is not shown on these documentaries is the daily challenges Lions face in hunting their own food and this idea that Lions are so successful at taking down prey is totally false. The fact is Lions are only successful 10% of the time so only one out of every 10 attempts to hunt any animal lead to a meal. Every time they fail there will be a loss of strength making it harder for them to succeed the following hunt.
What is important to remember is that any injury will normally prove fatal unless it is a scratch. A gash inflicted onto the body of a Lion can potentially become septic leading to death. A broken bone will slow down the movement of a Lion leading to the potential of feeding last on scraps hence being carried by the pride. Most of the time if the break does not heal fast the Lion will die!
This all makes life in the African bush very challenging! Lions have to weigh up the risk vs benefit when hunting. They at least are intelligent enough unless absolutely desperate, to back down or just get out of the way of the weapons that most prey animals posses, Horns! As mentioned, Horns can cause an injury which will usually end the life of a Lion so this leads into the reality of hunting prey like Buffalo.
Buffalo both male and female have horns! They would naturally use these as defense from other Buffalo in the case of males fighting over the rights to mate with females and in this case predators like Lions.