At the Zimanga nature reserve, two lions make the mistake of actively attacking the muscular buffalo herd. The buffaloes gathered and joined forces to chase the two lions running in opposite directions. The lion’s defeat was captured by Swedish wildlife photographer Staffan Widstrand.
According to Staffan, the whole area was once a large cattle ranch. Over time, this place was gradually invaded by natural plants and attracted grazing animals such as wild buffalo to feed. In the last two years, lions have been brought to the sanctuary. This is the first time the buffalo herd has encountered a lion in Zimanga.
“At first, the buffalo herd was scattered before the lion’s pursuit. Then they thought ‘hey, wait, we are outnumbered and bigger than that young lion’, so they chased the lion back. . The predator suddenly became the hunted,” said Staffan.
According to the photographer, after running for a while, the lion realized the situation seemed unreasonable and turned around. They continued to hunt and then rest and attack again for a long time until nightfall. Both the lion and the buffalo decided to rest. A few days later, the lion killed the first buffalo, Staffan said.
The African buffalo, also known as the Cape buffalo, is one of the Big Five, along with the lion, leopard, rhinoceros and elephant. This buffalo can weigh 1,000 kg. Buffalo is widely distributed in eastern and southern Africa and is not an endangered species.
