The lion is known as the king of the jungle. However, it’s important to remember that no king rules forever. Individual lions may bite too much to chew and find themselves stranded behind enemy lines. Sometimes entire prides are wiped out by other confederations of lions.
In this video, a lion becomes stranded among a herd of Cape buffalo. While lions usually prey on buffalo, the herbivores attacked this lone lion. The title of the video is “Buffalo Trampling Old Lion | Buffalo Attacking Lion” and that’s exactly what the video shows. Apparently, the video has been sped up, but we don’t know why. Maybe it was used in a shorter video format or to highlight the brutality of the battle.
The video begins with the lion being dethroned and no longer king of the jungle. The male lay on the ground, panting, while the buffalo sniffed around the fallen animal. A buffalo approached the lion and let out a low growl. The buffalo seemed to notice that the lion was too badly injured to fight back.
The gigantic mammal decided to use its horns to further injure the lion. The lion smacks its face with its paw before the buffalo takes a hard hit. A powder keg has been lit.
The king of the jungle engages in a desperate fight
©Henrico Muller/Shutterstock.com
It’s no coincidence that old lions live so long. The creature seemed to know that being close to the ground was the safest place, as it tried to gather the strength to escape. The buffalo jumped on the lion again, but the big cat grabbed the buffalo’s head. The first buffalo backed away to escape, while the other lowered its horns and pushed them upward, lifting the lion into the air.
While clearly injured, the king of the jungle retaliated by dodging the stab, grabbing the buffalo by the head and viciously biting its neck. The buffalo headbutted the lion on the jaw before running. The lion saw the gap and ran, but another buffalo blocked him.
Another buffalo joined the charge, turning the lion over and leaving it on the ground. That’s where the short version of the video stops. However, the full version shows more. The old lion lay down again. The beast tried to avoid the sight of the buffalo as it waited for the crowd to clear. The old lion hid behind a small tree, hoping that the concealment would provide protection.
Luckily, none of the other buffaloes were willing to jump on the tree and hurt the lion, or they wouldn’t be able to see him. A few minutes later, the rest of the pride appeared, and the old lion lay down to rest without the threat of death. We don’t know what happened to the lion. The old lion was injured before this video, so it shouldn’t last long after encountering the buffalo. However, the old lion fought one last good fight before leaving!
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I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
