In a dangerous scene captured in the jungles of South Africa, a lion cub is in danger when it is attacked by a herd of buffalo. This incident, recorded by wildlife photographer and safari guide Nick Andrew, shows the intense struggle of a lion cub in the jungle.
Andrew shared his footage with Fresh Sightings and described the “heart-stopping moment” captured on camera. The Mhangani lion pride, including three lionesses and nine cubs, was on an early morning hunt in the Savanna Private Game Reserve when they spotted the buffalo herd.
Andrew said the attack happened suddenly. “We had another vision and we were seeing a huge herd heading straight towards the cubs,” Andrew told Latest Sightings. Meanwhile, one of the cubs was left alone and climbed a fallen marula tree. However, the buffaloes had surrounded the distressed looking cub, who was trying his best to save himself by holding on to the branches of the tree.
“The scent of the lion made the buffalo angry! “One of the bigger bulls cornered the cub and it became his sole focus,” Andrew said. The situation turned “catastrophic” when the lion cub’s foot slipped from a tree, “causing the bull to proceed to injure the cub.” His horns missed him by only a few centimetres.
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Andrew said, “At this point, my heart was in my throat because it was clear that the little lion cub was going to die.” The buffalo’s second attempt to kill the cub resulted in the Marula tree being broken. “The lion cub literally fell at the feet of the buffalo. Luckily, the bull was busy removing the marula branch on its back, which could have easily weighed 100 kg. At that moment, the cub managed to escape.
Such intense encounters with wildlife are common in the forests of South Africa. In June, a safari ranger at Serondela Safari Lodge witnessed a fierce battle between a lioness and a hyena. A group of hyenas spotted the lioness on her fresh hunt and attempted to snatch it from her, but it was not so easy as she decided to fight back.
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