This safari video captures a lion lounging on dry grass in front of the camera. It looked old and tired, as if recovering from something. It looks up and sniffs the air when you hear wildlife sounds coming from behind the camera.
As the lion continues to breathe heavily, it looks around and finally stands up, moving slowly off-screen. You can tell it’s limping a bit, but it’s not entirely clear what’s going on with the lion.
It walks past the vehicle and you can see two more cars on the other side of the road. They were all parked in their cars with the windows open, observing their surroundings intently.
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The lion stops and looks forward, and the man behind the camera zooms in. You can see two hyenas behind the car on the other side of the lion. They blend in with the background, making them hard to spot at first. The only thing that separates the two hyenas from the lions is the vehicle.
It seemed like they were both aware of each other’s presence, but they were all just standing there looking around. If you watch the lion, you will notice that it continues to breathe heavily – almost panting. The lion started to cross the road where the car was to the other side of the park.
The camera turns to the hyena as the hyena begins to walk towards the lion. They walk in unison and the camera swivels back to capture the lion as it sits down with its hind feet stuck in the dirt, visibly exhausted.
Next, an elephant approaches. It walked very fast, flapping its ears and tail. It walks behind the lion and the video cuts to another scene. Here you see elephants running towards hyenas, barking as they go. The hyena took off and ran without hesitation.
The elephant continued to chase them, making sure that the distance between the two hyenas and their lion friends was as far as possible. Not surprisingly, the elephant noticed that the hyena was malicious. Elephants are very intelligent and loving animals.
Next, check out more elephant behavior:
Watch this king of the jungle assemble an elephant like a pet
Watch elephant stampede reunite with families of their favorites
Watch elephants face off…helicopters?
Watch polite elephants return their dropped children’s shoes
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.
