were fortunate enough to witness a thrilling and intense moment at the MalaMala Game Reserve in South Africa. In a remarkable turn of events, a group of buffaloes cornered a young male lion and attempted to castrate him.
According to Craddock and Hobson’s account on LatestSightings.com, the lions were already present in the area when they arrived at the reserve and seemed to be aware of the approaching herd of buffaloes. However, as the lions had already killed two sub-adult buffaloes in the past two days, they were unlikely to attempt another hunt. Despite this, the possibility of a lion-buffalo encounter was always exciting.
As the 100-plus herd of buffaloes arrived at the dam, the lions began to stir and pursue a different herd of buffalo heading towards the same dam. This created pandemonium, and as the lions chased the second herd, the second herd retaliated and chased the lions into a dry riverbed, where the original herd lingered. The first herd was equally displeased with the presence of the lions and began to chase them.
The lions found themselves trapped between two angry herds of buffaloes. In a desperate attempt to escape the herd’s wrath, one young male climbed a russet bushwillow. However, this was not a wise move as the buffalo quickly caught up and thrashed their horns around the tree. The buffaloes remained at the tree’s base for almost an hour, sniffing and thrashing at the young lion’s feet and genitals.
‘The lion was in a really precarious position,’ they said. ‘The buffalo were so angry and frustrated, and they were doing everything they could to get to him. We were all on edge, wondering what would happen next.’
After an hour of terror and uncertainty, the buffalo became distracted by other lions, and the young male lion was finally able to make his descent. He had a sense of relief on his face and rejoined the pride.
Watch the footage below: