Even a lion can't stand up to a cape buffalo herd.
In the wild areas of Africa, it's an endless life or death struggle for the animals that live there. And just because an animal is an apex predator does not guarantee safety in these wild and untamed lands. Because nature is unbelievably cruel, and she is rarely fair. It doesn't matter whether the animal is a herbivore like a zebra, rhino, warthog, giraffe, baboon, or hippo, or a carnivore like a croc or a cheetah.
Nowhere is that demonstrated better than in this recent viral video out of South Africa's Kruger National Park. According to Kruger Sightings on YouTube, two lionesses tried to cause a stampede in a herd of cape buffalo.
It turns out to be a rather poor decision. We don't see the start of this encounter, but we do get to see the end and it is incredibly brutal. One of the lionesses ends dead in this encounter. A warning before the video starts that this one is hard to watch.
This one was hard to watch as that big cat got thrown around like a rag doll by the buffaloes. This was one lion attack that failed horrifically and in unexpected fashion. However, it's worth noting that the African buffalo is one of the most dangerous animals on the dark continent. Especially an adult male buffalo bull. They have a reputation for having a nasty temper. There's a good reason the cape buffalo has the nickname "The Black Death." Not even a whole pride of lions would be able to stand up to the onslaught of horns and hooves in that herd.
Life is rarely fair for wild animals and this scene straight out of a National Geographic documentary is a good reminder of that. The good news is that the lion's body will not go to waste. Scavengers like vultures, hyenas, and wild dogs will likely pick the carcass clean.
This is the second time recently we have seen a big cat end up on the wrong end of the food chain. We recently also saw a cheetah get snatched by a crocodile. Perhaps the lions would have been better off trying to catch a wildebeest or antelope that day!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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