Lion and buffalo 22hr ordeal: Video
Published by Wildcaster 9 months, 3 weeks ago Tags: adventure, africa, animal kingdom, blogumentary, buffalo, conservation, documentary, ecotraining, education, experience, experience adventure, flickr, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, hunting, kill, lions, malilangwe, mashable, narrowcasting, Open Content Alliance, pamushana, peace parks, photos, podcasting, predators, rain, teach, video, wildcasting, wildlife, wildlife documentary, youtube, zimbabwe.It just doesn’t stop. From about 9pm until now it’s been raining. And it doesn’t look like letting up.
I was hoping to check up on the lions and buffalo bull at dawn but the rain just wasn’t letting up.
It was only in the early afternoon that Penny and I managed to venture out in a slight drizzle. We worked the area I’d left the lions in last night but there was no sign, as all tracks had been washed out by the rain.
I then got a radio call to meet someone on the airstrip just to the north of where I was searching. We were chatting when the same calls I heard yesterday came to us from the west.
The 2 lions had again downed the buffalo bull. He was lying on his chest while the lions tore away at his rump. With our approach the nervous male moved off. The other lion continued to feed.
It was now 22 hours after the lions had first caught the bull last night and he was still alive.
When the pain got too much the bull rallied and only just managed to get to his feet with the one male lion still hanging on his tail. Realising he wasn’t getting anywhere the lion suddenly released his hold and went for the bull’s Achilles tendon downing the bull.
For the next 20minutes so the lion had the bull on his side while he ripped away at its front leg. He then rolled the bull onto his side and was going for the stranglehold on the throat but the bull got the better of him and managed to get up and see the lion off.
The bull was in a bad way and soon lay down again. The lions too lay down about 40m away. Both parties were exhausted.
But the lions knew this guy wasn’t going to get away and were prepared to wait. 2 hours later they were still waiting and we left them be.
I wonder now if the bull will survive another 22 hours?
Share Wildcast with the world: 
More great stuff Kim. It ain’t pretty, but its what happens. I applaud the fact that you keep the camera rolling when the going gets grisly and eschew “Tourist Videos”.
Hi Kim,
The proof is in seeing, but how is it two adult male lions couldn’t bring him down, and out, more quickly? So much for thinking shock and endorphins help….
i’ve had a link to your site for some time now and often stop by. but let me at last take a moment to say, what a great site you have. i really enjoy it. thanks for putting it out there.
Kim,
Poor bull and what stamina these animals have. Are the lions a bit unexperienced, you think?
I hope you don’t find him alive anymore. It would be a long and probably extremely painful dead for this guy.
ps- I finally found one of your films - Predators at War!
Ivanova
Kim,
It never ceases to amaze me how powerful the lions are!!
I don’t know why at least one of the lions didn’t smother the buffaloes mouth to suffocate it (as happened in a previous video).
Maybe the male lions aren’t as experienced in finishing prey as the females are.
Anyway, great site and keep up the good work.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and great new year!
wow - i just can’t believe how lucky you were that the guys you were chatting to managed to find the kill for you!
Hey Nibbly or is it Nobbly??!!! I recall one of those guys being an acoustic specialist on Windsocks. Hey dude, very useful. When are you down again? Give me a shout