Lion Predation

[Spalea]

Two male lions dig out a warthog from its burrow and kill it...

“We were out of the lodge first for an early morning drive and decided to take the road that follows the Sabi River. As we carried on up the road looking for some animals, we spotted 2 male lions standing about 100m down the road. These 2 male lions are called the Avoca males. They control the southern section of the Sabi Sands and crossed the Sabi River into the Kruger from time to time.” “As we got closer to where they were stationary, we noticed what looked like an aardvark burrow that the 2 lions were digging into. It wasn’t long after we stopped close by that they started digging at the entrance of the burrow again. We could see that something must have caught their interest inside the burrow - so we decided to watch and wait.” “We watched for a while and they both started digging with more intent, the one almost not giving the other a chance and that’s when we knew that they were now definitely on to something! The anticipation was building and soon after – one of the lions stuck his head into the burrow while the second lion followed straight after, then all we heard was a warthog squealing! The lions pulled the warthog out of the burrow with so much power that they even pulled out the roots of the bush the burrow was dug under!” “The excitement felt like a crack of electricity in the air as we all gasped with the surprise of what just happened. This was the first time I have ever seen anything like this! This is the kind of sighting I will remember for a very long time.” “As a ranger, we try to remind our clients and other safari lovers that it is important to stay patient. There were a few minutes that passed in between where the lions were resting and one could have thought that they lost interest. The earlier you get out in the morning the better the chances are of you being able to witness something this incredible.” “When the kill was over and the lions started feeding, the sighting ended for us. We made way for other vehicles that joined us so that they could view the lions. We left the scene knowing that we had experienced the best of the sighting and we were satisfied.”


Kosi, the safari guide. Reply