The lion is the king of the jungle, the king of the territory and the apex predator, fearless until… a rhino! In this riveting footage, you’ll see what happens when one of the world’s most powerful felines comes face-to-face with one of the most unique and powerful animals on Earth.
African rhino and lion
The footage was captured in Africa’s Kruger National Park and features two lion brothers. At the beginning of the film, we see a lion trotting across the savannah being chased by a rhino. Sometimes the lion turns around and they stare at each other. At one point, a hyena showed up to see what was going on.
The lion brothers try to look cool by crouching in front of the rhino and pretending not to be bothered. That all changed when the rhino charged at them and they were forced to get up. The lions changed positions several times, but the rhinos chased them. When one of the lions starts dragging a carcass, the rhino pushes them away with her massive horns and domineering stance. Most of the time, the rhinos just walk towards the lions, but sometimes they run suddenly. It must be scary to see a full-grown rhino charging at you. It was impossible to see exactly what the body was, but we suspect it was a baby rhino. In the video notes there is a link to a longer video in which the mother rhino is protecting her calf from some lions. One of the lions in this video is apparently injured, which may have been caused during the confrontation.
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lion hunting on the grassland
Lions are top predators and excellent hunters. They hunt a variety of animals including buffalo, wildebeest, gazelle, zebra and antelope in the open savannas of Africa. A lone lion would not take on an adult rhino, and would think twice before trying to catch a calf. Pride might try to hunt a rhino. However, the baby could be young, weak or sick, which would make them an easier target. Heartbreakingly, the mum rhino is still protecting her calf, even though it’s apparently gone.
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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.
