A lone lioness chased by hyenas ends up cornered and has to make a run for her life; does she make it out alive, or do the hyenas win?
34-year-old commercial and industrial property broker at Corporate Real Estate Africa, Armand Barnard, was witness to this sad sighting.
“It was a warm afternoon in Kruger National Park when my wife and I embarked on a game drive, eagerly anticipating our first sighting. We drove down the H4-1 towards the H12 bridge, then towards Nkuhlu picnic site.”
“On our way back, we were looking for leopards or lions when we suddenly heard a commotion. “
“A lioness ran out of the bush, pursued by four hyenas. Running for her life, with the hyenas biting her hind legs.
We could see she was in distress. The hyenas then surrounded her, and you could almost see the acceptance of defeat in her eyes.”
The rivalry between lions and hyenas is well documented in nature. Both are apex predators.
While lions are generally larger and more powerful, hyenas are known for their cunning and scavenging abilities. Hyenas often target young or weakened lions.
“The lioness looked old and weak, perhaps separated from her pride and therefore defenseless. The lioness growled and groaned in agony.”
Eventually getting a break, she made a run for it, with the hyenas on her tail.”
“The bush was so thick that they all disappeared and we could not see them anymore, so we are unsure what happened.
Our emotions were all over the place, from fear to disbelief. After the sighting, we sat silently for about five minutes before we could speak.”
“We have never seen anything like this in the last 8 years we have been visiting the Kruger; even our friends that go to the Kruger very often have never seen anything like this. Although we believe there was a happy ending, we can never be certain. As the next morning we found 3 lionesses on the same road, and one of them had a limp in her left rear leg with a bite mark.”
