Lions tormented: Video

The buffalo carcass was moved from the donga/ravine it was in right next Kwali Camp because of the smell. This of course, then provided us with much better accessibility.
Manyari and Magwaza were back on the carcass at sunset while vultures settled in to their roosts as they hope to get lucky tomorrow.

It wasn’t long and a hyaena had picked up on the carcass. The lions were lying away from the carcass when the hyaena moved in to feed, obviously unaware of the lions. It fed a while then moved away and lay down. The lionesses in the meantime had already started their stalk. The hyaena was their only focus and it was totally oblivious to what was going on. At 20m the lionesses charged but their fat bellies and the hyaenas fast reflexes meant it got away, but it did so with much squealing in anticipation of those claws digging in to it’s flesh. The commotion brought in more hyaenas. Now it was 6 against 2, and having the advantage the hyaenas pushed on, tormenting the lions. Their plan seemed to be to hassle the lions to move off so they could feed in peace.

Only with the lions out the way did the hyaenas really tuck in. But the carcass was huge and they hardly made a dent in it.
In the early hours of the morning the lions moved back in to feed, now seeming to be taking turns with the hyaenas that lay resting about 50m away.
At sunrise the hyaenas headed off west and shortly afterwards the lions moved south.
With the big predators out the way, suddenly the vultures came pouring in from the skies. Close on a hundred birds descended on the carcass and sure made a dent in it. I left them in mid morning still feasting away.

I just wonder why the lions left their carcass? And from what I’ve come to experience, lions don’t like to feed on a carcass that vultures have fed on. So will they return tonight?

Right in the east near Nduna again, I found the dogs. They’d already killed a young impala when the male joined them, regurgitated for the pups and then took them back to his adult female impala kill. They sure aren’t running short of food in this pack! And being the only pack on the property, they definitely won’t be running short for a long time to come.