Can a Lone Male Lion have a successful predation on a Adult Bull Buffalo?

[Dr Panthera]

Of course they can this is reported from the Masai Mara, the Serengeti, The Ngorongoro Crater, Ruaha, Selous, Duba plains, and Kruger....I even witnessed that with my own eyes earlier this month where a massive Crater male lion killed a bull Buffalo from a bachelor herd, another massive lion and two lionesses kept the other Buffalo from attempting to rescue their fallen comrade.
Derek and Beverly Joubert detail lion predation on Buffalo in a great book and film " Relentless Enemies" and Wildcam Africam and the African wild life blog showed videos and pictures of lone lions killing bull Buffalo over the years.
This of course is quite rare for a multitude of reasons:
1- Buffalo remains a formidable prey that is more likely than not repel a lone lion attack
2- Buffalo are social animals than congregate in groups of a handful old bulls, a dozen or so bachelor herds, and breeding herds from fifty to one thousand and five hundred animals , a big buffalo herd is the most challenging prey because you are not only attacking a 550 kg female or a 750 kg bull you are likely to face another thousand monster of the most powerful horns of any ungulate, I saw a buffalo head butt and displace an elephant in a water hole in Masai Mara recently.
Buffalo also premepively attack lions and trample their Cubs to death
3- A lone lion is most likely either a nomad that does not want to attack a buffalo and be stuck in protracted and noisy struggle that is likely to alert the resident male lions which are the nomads worst nightmare, or if it is a resident lion it will not attempt a dangerous attack it may not win, it will simply summon its coalition partners if any and the pride lionesses and then the chance of spooking the herd , isolating a suitable victim and killing it is more likely
4- In Pendjari Park in West Africa small lion groups of one lioness and her cubs kill adult Buffalo regularly and it is their main food source, Buffalo is also the chief prey in the Okavango, Kruger, Ruaha, Ruwanga, and Lake Manyara in terms of biomass
And it is so in the Serengeti ecosystem when the migratory animals are not present. So specialist Buffalo hunters are all over Africa and may attempt single attacks ..rare but happen Reply