On the first afternoon of this Mara trip with Wild Eye, we found four lionesses near the lugga that led down to where we saw Nshipai, a leopardess. There were no wildebeest or zebra to be seen. The migration had moved down into the Serengeti three weeks earlier. The lionesses had managed to kill a Reedbuck, but the pickings were slim for four adult hungry lionesses.
The second morning we found the four lionesses on the move traveling north. One lioness was younger than the other three and was limping.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” ~ African Proverb
As the lionesses were walking up the lugga, they would stop and rest every now and then. The lionesses following would catch up with the lead lioness and there were always rubbed heads.
As the sun progressively rose there was beautiful golden morning light which illuminated the lead lioness.
“Our destiny is not written for us, it’s written by us.” ~ Barack Obama
We had driven about a kilometre ahead of the lionesses who were following the course of a lugga. At a small pond of water under two large trees we found two old buffalo bulls. These solitary older male buffalos are sometimes referred to as “dagga boys”. The word dagga comes from one of the African languages which means mud. The reason these bulls are either solitary or in small groups is because they have been forced out of the herd by the younger bulls. “Dagga Boys ” are known to be bad tempered and are best left alone. These two old buffalo bulls were not covered in “dagga” or mud because the rains had begun in the Mara and the downpours were heavy enough to wash all the dagga away. The old bulls love wallowing in the mud as it has a cooling effect, and the mud makes it more difficult for biting insects to get into the soft skin areas.
“You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive.” ~ Sheryl Sandberg
The two buffalo bulls had sated their thirst at the pond and were walking away when the lionesses approached. All three of us (photographers) in the game vehicle said there was no chance that the four lionesses would take on two large buffalo bulls, especially when one lioness was limping.
The buffalo bulls stopped to assess what the lionesses were going to do. They just stood there as the lionesses draw adjacent to them. Initially, the lionesses made no attempt to chase the buffalos. Then unexpectedly, and for no apparent reason, one of the buffalo bulls bolted back down towards the pond where they had been drinking minutes before. The second buffalo bull followed. The buffalos running triggered the chase response from two of the larger lionesses.
The second buffalo bull initially followed his partner. One lioness gave chase seeking to separate the bulls.
“There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.” ~ Lao Tzu
The chasing lionesses managed to trap one bull in a hollow in the lugga. This badly restricted the bull’s ability spin around and protect itself.
Both lionesses managed to get a grip of the bull’s hindquarters, one on its rump and the second biting the tendons on one of its back legs. The other two lionesses quickly piled into help. The second buffalo bull saw what was happening and ran left and crossed the lugga to stand about thirty metres on the other side of the pond.
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” ~ Michael Jordan
The caught buffalo bull was bellowing but his partner stood some distance away and did not try to help his trapped partner. We wondered why but it was probably because of the restricted position the first bull was caught in. It was not in the open and there was very little space to be able to attack the lionesses.
It must have taken the four lionesses about twenty minutes to get the bull onto the ground.
Without help, once the bull was lying on the ground it was just a matter of time before the lioness had choked the life out of it with a strong jaw clamp to the neck to restrict the windpipe and suffocate the bull.
“Think ahead to not get cornered.” ~ Mike Haworth
It must have taken another ten to fifteen minutes before the buffalo bull was dead. The other buffalo bull walked away knowing that there was nothing he could do, and he was reasonably sure the lionesses were not going to follow him as they were now very tired.
“Determined and sustained effort are crucial ingredients for success.” ~ Mike Haworth
Once the lionesses had killed the buffalo bull, they just lay around getting their breath back after the enormous effort required to kill this large bull.
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.” ~Helen Keller
Killing the buffalo is one thing, getting through its hide is another. A buffalo bull’s hide is thick, around its neck the skin can be as thick as two inches (50mm) in places, which protects it during battles with other bulls for dominance. The softest places and where the skin is thinnest is the belly and between the bull’s back legs.
The lionesses were clearly hungry so the buffalo kill was opportune and would provide plenty of meat for the next few days. That assumed the lionesses had the buffalo carcass to themselves and would not have visitors such as a large pack of hyaenas or coalition of male lions.
On day three, we returned to the buffalo kill to find three large male lions dominating the carcass and the lionesses lying some distance away. One female tried repeatedly to feed on the carcass, but the males were having none of it.
The oldest and largest of the males had a black mane and a cut below his left eye. It looked as if a claw had narrowly missed his eye. He would not let the lionesses feed on the carcass when he was next to it.
Once the oldest male had his fill he walked over and drank from the stream flowing out of the pool next to the kill.
Once the oldest male had finished the other two males tucked into the carcass. They too would not share with the females.
“The lion’s courage is forged in the crucible of adversity, and its roar is the anthem of triumph over challenges.” ~ Rashida Rowe
There was lots of growling and snarling when the two males were feeding on the same part of the buffalo carcass, but the snarls never erupted into any form of fighting.
Once the males had finished feeding they moved about 20 to 30 metres from the carcass and lay down and slept.
It was notable that the only competition the lions had was from a pair of Black-backed jackals and a few vultures. We never saw a hyaena. This was probably because of the male lions.
Once the males had finished there was almost nothing left of the buffalo carcass. It took about four days for the lions to completely finish the buffalo carcass. Once finished the lionesses and male lions went their separate ways.
“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” ~ Gary Snyder
It was fascinating to see all the actions and interactions from the start of the hunt to when the carcass had been finished. The three photographers in our game vehicle all smiled at the end of the saga and said we certainly did not judge those lionesses correctly. The crux of the kill seemed to be that the lionesses trapped the bull in a hollow in the lugga which made it very difficult for him to whirl around and protect himself and also gave his partner no room to properly defend him.
“At the start of a game drive you are full of anticipation. On the drive the visual beauty and scents of the bush make your senses swim. Nature is unpredictable but reveals a little more of itself each time creating fascination and building more mystery.” ~ Mike Haworth
One of the most intriguing aspects is that all of us in the game vehicle had been in the bush and seen many lion hunts and we still got our assessment of their probable success wrong. Part of what makes wildlife photography so interesting is that you come away marveling at the tenacity and strategy of lion hunts. No one wants to get in the way of a hungry lioness.
Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.
Have fun, Mike.