The scene was a picture of peace: three giraffes browsing leisurely next to a Kruger waterhole. But neither the photographer nor the giraffes realised that danger was lurking in plain sight.
The Kruger National Park’s Leeupan is a waterhole where the unexpected has been known to happen. On 21 July 2017, on the H1-2 between Skukuza and Tshokwane, a solitary lioness was on the prowl. She settled in at Leeupan, her sights firmly set on an adult giraffe and two calves. Would the trio escape unscathed?
Wild Card travellers Anja and Riaan Kruger were caught completely unawares when the lion pounced. “Everything happened so fast. We had never witnessed a giraffe kill before. At first, we did not even notice the lion. There was so much wildlife around, all grazing peacefully. We had no idea what was about to happen,” says Anja.
Can you spot the big cat? Pictures by Anja Kruger
Motionless… The lioness waits for the right moment to attack.
Within seconds, the lioness makes a leap for it.
Feet completely off the ground, the lioness is determined to still her hunger.
When hunting giraffes, lions that fare best have developed highly cooperative hunting techniques or operate in big prides, with pride males playing an active role. – Shaping Kruger by Mitch Reardon
“After witnessing several unsuccessful lion hunts in Kruger – we visit the park at least four times a year – we truly thought the lioness would walk away empty handed. I was trembling with excitement,” Anja recalls.
“The adult giraffe and remaining calf stood in silence a few metres away. At no point did they approach the lioness to try and save the calf. After 20 long minutes, the lioness had finally suffocated the calf and started to move her kill to a secure location.”
Common or crazy?
Dr Francois Deacon, lecturer at the University of the Free State’s Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Science, describes the sighting as incredibly interesting. “I have taken photos of many instances where lions patiently wait at waterholes to hunt. But when giraffes are present, they show very little to no interest.”
Thanks to their sheer size and powerful kick, giraffes can overpower most predators. According to Francois, giraffes fall prey to lions when the big cats have successfully learnt how to hunt them. “In the Kgalagadi for example, lions have not adopted this strategy and cases where lions kill giraffes are rare. Young, sub-adult lions, however, will try their luck and risk injury when attempting to bring down a giraffe.”
Are the two calves perhaps twins? “No. They form part of a daytime nursery: all the calves remain at the side of a single adult while other adults search for food.”
Surprising that the mother had no intention to protect her young!
surprising it is… but as the comment by Dr. Deacon explains at least some of it: it may not be her own young.
Good day,
Please let me know what a wild -card renewal costs these days. I am an old member of yours qualifying for pensioner discount if available? My Number 02547645. ( W.R.L. Wilson.) I/D 4307055018084.
Please advise me thanks,
WRLWilson.
Hi I saw your query on the Sanparks website – renewal costs are the same as getting a new membership – note the following link:
https://www.sanparks.org/wild_new/tourism/pricing.php
Di
Giraffe kills are actually quite common. In one study in the Kruger giraffe ranked 3 on the list of lion kills (that is in relation to their abundance in the environment). Even more interesting was that lion targeted the big males and took them down about twice as often as females. This may arise from their propensity to wander from (female) herd to herd searching for females in estrus. They are thus often solitary and possibly weaker due to their lack of feeding when they’ve located a female in estrus. Flip Stander in Namibia’s Hoanib River has some equally amazing footage of lioness attempting to bring down giraffe in the Namib Desert.
Pls advise cost of a renewal for an old member id 340413 5028 182
082 440 2545
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wow wow wow!
amazing pictures
awesome sighting
one in a million moment
In the Goma Goma conservancy in the Timbavati, there are almost no plains antelope and the lions have learnt to chase a giraffe on to stony ground where it will often slip and break a leg, making it an easy kill.
One evening at the Okakuo waterhole in Etosha we saw a giraffe kick a lioness off her calf and then chase the lioness away from the waterhole. Far too quick for a photos even though all the action was within 25 meters of nearest people
Fantastic pictures! Research we did a few years back shows that giraffe are one of five preferred prey species of lions: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Graham_Kerley2/publication/231788035_Prey_preferences_of_the_lion_Panthera_leo/links/02bfe50f6bab11f467000000.pdf
Note that the lioness chose to hunt the giraffe over the impala – a clear preference and this makes sense given the return on energetic investment (she’ll get more food/energy by killing the giraffe calf than the impala).
The story does not end at this point: I arrived to Leopan and a pack of hyenas took the giraffe away from the lioness, forcing her to abandon her prey. The lioness tried to recover his prey but the almost military strategy of the hyenas prevented it. After an affirmation period, the lioness has ceased and moved away in my direction and then disappeared into the bush in the direction of Tshokwane. If you like, I can send you the photographs.
Hello Beppe. What a surprise. We would love to share your pictures with the Wild community. You can email your snaps to [email protected]. Many thanks!
For me it will be an honor to share with you my photographs. Let me have time just to catalog them and I’ll send them with great pleasure!
Very lucky! Right time, right place and patience