By Kate Harrold
SEE THE moment a lone buffalo was cornered by a deadly TRIO of ravenous lions.
In the nail biting footage, a 570-pound male lion leapt down from a hillside to close in on a 1,500-pound buffalo, but the buffalo stood its ground and forced the lion onto a nearby rock.
A further two lions then joined in, circling the buffalo and evening out the playing field. With numbers on their side, the deadly trio pounced and made their kill.
Trail ranger Jan Kriel (50) from Mpumalanga, South Africa, captured the breath-taking footage in the country’s Kruger National Park from just several feet away using a mobile phone camera. The three male lions spent 90-seconds cornering and stalking the lone buffalo before diving in to make their kill.
“The lions looked incredibly hungry so I knew we would be in for a surprise,” Jan said.
“We were actually watching the buffalo when we suddenly noticed the three male lions nearby.
“Knowing that they had quite an appetite, we gave them some space and watched the hunt unfold.
“Once the lions had launched at the buffalo, we realised the buffalo had a broken front leg which explains why it was on its own and easy prey.
“I knew that what we saw in front of us was the circle of life and a good example of the strongest survive. If an animal is injured, Mother Nature will dispose of it. This time, the lions did that job.”
Lions often hunt by ambushing their prey. The pride fan out in a semi-circle – herding the prey in to the centre where it’s easier for them to make their final kill. Whilst lionesses hunt roughly 90 per cent of the pride’s food, males won’t pass up a prime hunting opportunity.
