During the first day of our South African safari adventure we came upon the real life and death drama of a battle between Cape buffalo and a pride of lions. We were right in the middle. It was intense!!! I was able to take a few pictures but they do not reflect the ferocity of the drama that unfolded around us. So I have combined a few pictures and created a highly anthropomorphized narrative that in some small measure may help you grasp the magnitude of what we experienced.
Old Mother, the lead Cape Buffalo in a herd of over 100, had lead her massive herd along the south bank of the Dungo steep ravine for hours. The grass was a rich, succulent green, just knee high. The fall rains had been good to the land. The cows were feasting and calves nursed for long periods. The wind had swirled around the hills on the right side of the road and came from behind her. She did not sense that a pride of lions was hidden in the tall grass, spreading out and stalking the herd, preparing for their next kill.
There were no white back vultures circling in the air or sitting in trees above the ravine. The pride had been able to feast undisturbed for hours. The approaching herd of buffalo coming back to the same area was a blessing for the pride. They could simply lay in wait and ambush a struggler from the brush beside the ravine.
The tension in the atmosphere of the scene was electric. It quickly became obvious to us that we were surrounded by lions and a very powerful, Cape buffalo that was intent on protecting the herd. The hair on the arms of myself and the other men stood straight up. Earlier we had seen juvenile buffalo butting heads, playful on first appearance, but two 400 lb. animals with big sharp horns is always series business. We had also seen a much bigger juvenile buffalo confront a white rhino, and bring it to a halt for almost half a minute. They stood nose to nose without moving as the rest of the herd grazed around them.
Golden Horn had given chase to Green Lady. She was the most powerful lioness in the pride. Her massive claws and jaws had brought down hundreds of antelope and Cape buffalo. As Golden Horn charged, the pride of lions split in all directions, momentarily confusing him. Green lady crouched in the grass at the base of a mass of dense green shrubs, pulling her head down to less obvious.
Lady Yellow ran the opposite direction and crouched in some tall grass on the edge of the ravine slightly above our safari jeep. Lady Yellow was the scout of the pride. She was the hunt planner. The moment Gold Horn paused in the case, she turned her attention to the herd of buffalo around her, seeking an opportunity in the confusion to take down a disoriented calf.
Three younger lions, the surviving subadults of Lady Yellow and Green Lady, dashed across the ravine and sank into the dense green brush facing Gold Horn and the two dominant females. They were clearly in the relaxed repose of an audience watching and learning the life and death dance of lions and Cape buffalo. Their lives depended on knowing how to navigate this type of confrontation well.
In an amazingly calm soft voice, Massi , reassured the group,”Stay in your seats. Do not stand up. Slow movement. Splendid! Amazing! Brilliant”
Down at the bottom of the ravine, the scared and nearly crippled King of the pride sat on the remains of the carcass of the earlier kill watching the challenger through the tall yellow grass and brush. Golden Horn tromped and snorted and moved in a broad circle sensing the attitude and status of each member of the pride. He knew them well. He knew they would kill him if they got a chance. Seven adult lions was a dangerous combination even for this powerful bull with his long hooked horns and massive hoofs.
Down in the ravine, a junior male, that had been the last to feed on the carcass, slipped up to get a bite of flesh. King, snarled driving the youngster away and defiantly started licking and cleaning the bones of the last bits of flesh with his serrated tongue. Junior made another attempt and King growled fiercely. That last growl was too much for Golden Horn. He pushed the brush aside and plunged into the ravine standing directly in front of King. They were a mere two yards apart. A massive 400 lb. experienced killer that had crushed the trachea of the buffalo he was now feeding on, and hundreds of other buffalo and antelope, facing 1,000 lbs. Cape Buffalo ready to rush him and trample him in the confine of the ravine.
Suddenly Green Lady came out of her crouch by the big bush and darted to the edge of the ravine. Lady Yellow turned to watch but did not move from her herd spotting position. The Young lions on the opposite side of the ravine stood up. Golden Horn recognized real danger and his precarious situation. The possibility that four adult lions were preparing to jump on his back was a life and death calculation.
Cape buffalo’s main fighting method was to drag a lion that was fixed to his back so that her feet were dragging and then quickly turn, spinning around and catching a lion off balance then use his sharp curved horns to gore and flip it high in the air. But Gold Horn realized that there was no way for him to spin around in the narrow ravine. If all these big cats jumped on his back at the same time, King would likely lunge forward and grab Golden Horn by the nose and suffocate him in minutes.
But even though King and Gold Horn were face to face, King did not charge at the big buffalo. Directly behind King was a wallow of mud. King would not be able to get any traction. He was aware that Gold Horn could push him backward in a headlong charge and the bull would instantly trample him. He stared directly into the eyes of his most fearsome enemy and waited for backup.
Golden Horn turned and lunged up the bank of the ravine and charged Green Lady. She swung around and retreated, looking over her shoulder. Blue Horn, another massive Cape buffalo had come down from the herd to join Golden Horn. He was no friend of Golden Horn. They had fought noisy, dusty pitched battles for the rights to mate cows in estrus, but the chance to take one to the lions in tight corners was interesting to him. They might get a cat between them.
Massi, rated as one of the top two wildlife guides in South Africa, sat on the dash board of the jeep looking at everyone and again calmly speaking in a measured low voice, instructing the safari members to remain calm, “No fast movements please. Do not stand up. Do not make any noise. “Splendid” “Brilliant.” He said over and over in a soft voice. “Simply brilliant. Once in a lifetime to be so close. This is world class. Never before in all my years, to be this close! This is a once in a lifetime experience.”
All the people in the jeep were struck with the dramatic energy of the scene and whispered, “Holy shit.” “Oh my God” rolled softly across our lips. Cameras clicked. Smart phone video cameras scanned the scene. Heads turned to look in all directions. Where were all the big cats at that moment? Which one was moving? Which one was on its feet?
Lady Yellow, the opportunity seeker, sat on her haunches eyeing the herd. Then she abruptly dropped to her belly and crouched, slowly sliding along the ground in a stalking movement towards the herd. Then she sat up on her haunches again looking at the herd and only occasionally glancing back at the drama on the edge of the ravine.
Two white rhinos came down the slope towards the commotion. Clearly just Gawkers! They moved close to the Safari Jeep then walked away to feed. Blue Horn and Golden Horn came back up the slope. Golden Horn sensed Lady Yellow in the tall grass above the jeep. He wanted to give her a scare for good measure. He walked up directly to the side Safari Jeep that blocked his way. He stopped a foot from the Jeep. He had intended to give Lady Yellow a cheap thrill but the stupid Jeep was in the way and he was over heated from his fracas in the ravine. Blue horn turned away and went back up the slope to the herd to eat tall green grass. Golden Horn followed.
Lady Yellow walked down the edge of a game trail directly towards the safari Jeep. Everyone in the Jeep turned to watch her confident deliberate movements. She was huge. Maybe 250 lbs. Her paws were as big as a frying pan. Initially she eyed the safari jeep, then dropped her eyes to look at the ground.
“Holy shit” came out of a woman’s mouth again and again.
Lady yellow walked behind the Safari Jeep and joined Green Lady. A juvenile lions rolled over and played like house cats in the tall grass. The Safari Jeep backed out of the ravine and headed back to the lodge. Mighty Cape buffalo grazed. Somehow the music of the ages stopped. The dance was over, for now.
King limp was going to have competition. These two beautiful, younger lions would probably grab off some of the stay lioness that wandered around the reserve and create a new pride. But eventually they would attack and kill King Limp and take over his pride. In either case, new genetic material would be entered into the lion gene pool of the reserve.
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