Video: Lion Pride Finds Prey

17Aug

Videos

lions

Jone Haesslich

(no comments)

Wildlife documentaries will often tell you that female lions are the hunters and males will come in once the kill has been made to take their share. Well this isn't always true. It all depends on the pride structure, the area the lions live in and what prey they are hunting for. Watch this video of a successful hunt by a pride of lions at Kariega.

Dominant Male Lion at Kariega Can and Does Hunt for Himself

At Kariega Game Reserve the dominant male lion will go on his own for a few days to mark his territory. During this time he will hunt for himself and he is big enough to even take down large prey like fully grown zebras and medium to large size giraffes. The bigger the prey, the more likely he is to get hurt, so he will keep this in mind too. Male lions can’t hide as well as the females in open areas because of their big manes. They usually wait for the lionesses to grab the prey and then come in to help bring it down.

Safari Guests Watch Successful Lion Hunt

The video shows a gorgeous sunny morning at Kariega when safari guests were watching a pride of lions having a nap on a ridge. They noticed three adult warthogs moving down into the valley from the opposite side. The lions saw them too! They reacted instantly and moved towards the warthogs with two adult lionesses in front and the youngsters following close by. The big male didn’t even bat an eyelid. He continued napping until he heard the squeals of the warthog down in the valley and then slowly proceeded down to find his breakfast.

The females tried to eat as much as they could in the short time they had because they knew the big male was on his way down. A warthog is nothing more than a snack when divided between a few lions! The male grabbed half of the warthog carcass and enjoyed his prize a few meters away from the rest of the pride. So there you have it. Another good day for the lions on Kariega Game Reserve.