We were late getting down to where the Ntsevu pride had been the night before, but we had been delayed by a leopard and wild dogs, so weren’t too displeased.
A funny noise from the riverbed a few hundred metres from where we had stopped to stretch our legs caught our attention, and investigating, we were thrilled to find the Ntsevu pride on a fresh kill. SO fresh in fact that the funny noise we had heard was almost certainly the distress call of the animal as the pride took it down.
Our view as we arrived.
The pride was on the open sand, ringed around their victim, and all we could see of the kill was the occasional glimpse of dark fur.
Big kill in the riverbed? Buffalo, guaranteed.
We called it in on the radio then settled in to enjoy the sighting.
Now once you have pronounced on something out here, that idea kind of sticks in your head, despite potential evidence to the contrary.
Other rangers take your word for it, assuming that you know what you’re talking about, and they in turn will describe the sighting based on the initial information you gave them. This is why it’s crucial that your first call is the correct one.
Turns out, ours wasn’t…
It was an interesting one, as for the duration of the morning something wasn’t sitting quite right; there was a growing unease without any apparent reason for it.
It was only when reviewing the footage later that Jess MacLarty – who had been with me at the initial discovery of the sighting – said suddenly, “Buffalo?”
Then the penny dropped. Not a buffalo.
A photo taken later that evening that confirmed it was definitely NOT a buffalo that the lions had killed.
It was, in fact, most definitely a big wildebeest bull. I’ll make the excuse that the habitat was exactly suited for an old buffalo bull and not a wildebeest. I could also say that 22 lions smothering a kill hide almost all of it, so all we initially had to go on was a small window of fur that got exposed between two of the pride.
But then I’ll realise that a buffalo is considerably wider than a wildebeest, so much of its bulk would surely have been protruding above where the lions were feeding. I’ll also realise that a buffalo’s horns should have been considerably bigger, and almost certainly protruding above the Ntsevu scrum. I’ll also realise that one should never jump to conclusions out here, and should analyse each situation based on what’s in front of you.
Finally, I’ll accept in a very embarrassed kind of way that if there was no lockdown in South Africa right now and a full complement of rangers and trackers were on site, I would have been ribbed mercilessly for this.
And now I’ve realised that that will start as soon as this post is published.
Oops.
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We have all made mistakes, as the Dalek said climbing off the dustbin
The important thing here is that you did eventuall realise that it was not a buffalo. With twenty two lions on a carcass it would not have been easy to see. What can one say apart from LOL
Haha. Do not stress James. We all make mistakes, getting confused, identifying the wrong animal. Don’t know how it is possible but I sometimes mistake a zebra for a lion if it is some distance away.
The important thing here is that you did eventulally realise that it was not a buffalo. With twenty two lions on a carcass it would not have been easy to see. What can one say apart from LOL
Hi James,
Your mistake noted, apologies accepted 👍👍👍😀😀😀
Good for you James… But beware it might be remembered in a (hopefully, not too long) while…
James, what a wonderful blog, I saved the picture of the lion, reflection in the water🤗 You are awesome photographer!
Thank you for the ousts which are a connection to the wild as we all face lockdown
Interesting story you told on yourself! 🤣😂🤣
No worries James, it happens. I’m wondering how the cubs are doing from the Ntsevu pride, are they looking good?
Oops indeed! I remember once everyone, including our guide, being convinced we had found a rhino only by seeing its horn sticking out from bushes. We were looking for rhino therefore we assumed we had found one. Confirmation bias. When we looked again and more closely we discovered it was ‘only’ a buffalo with one side of its horn sticking upwards as its head was lying down😀
There was some great drone footage of the lions eating by the water, particularly liked the end shot as the shot went higher and higher. Quick question about this – are drones always allowed or are they only being used mow because of lockdown?
hahahahahaha, oh well. Shows you’re human 🙂
James. with all the lions surrounding there was no clear view. Guess your fellow Rangers and Trackers will be glad to have something to rib you about. Great photos and I’ll take your call any day. Regardless very exciting. I have been wondering how 21 in a lion pride get enough food. Surely they can take down a Buffalo with those numbers.
To err is human….. enjoyed the blog and photos anyway!!
James, at least the lions don’t have to worry about hand sanitizers, or toilet paper and paper towels running out? Nor do they have to walk into a grocery store and find it ransacked! Us humans can barely find meat or poultry available! It’s actually humbling seeing how survive, not to mention a joyful sight seeing them enjoying a “fresh meal” and filling their bellies.
OOPS! (my bad! My typo makes my post look like it had a hiccup!)
As I previously mentioned, .. at least the lions don’t have to worry about hand sanitizers, or toilet paper and paper towels running out? Nor do they have to walk into a grocery store and find it ransacked! Us humans (in America) can barely find meat or poultry available these days! .. Seeing the lions feasting on the “rack of ribs,” my mind thinks,..”WOW! that would cost us a small fortune here in the U.S.!”
It’s actually humbling seeing how the lions survive, not to mention it being a joyful sight seeing them enjoying a “fresh meal” and filling their bellies. They have truly earned their keep!
Would that be worthy of the pink pouch? – and who’s the current holder of it?
If you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? I for one, won’t hold it against you.
Smart move to spill the beans yourself. That will take some of the heat out of the derogatory comments, which as you predict, will surely come in due course.
We all make mistakes once or twice. At least this is not a pink pouch occasion (or might it be?) Hamba kahle. Zulu because I can’t find a Shanghaan dictionary nor translated.
“A funny noise from the riverbed a few hundred metres from where we had stopped to stretch our legs caught our attention,…..” Does anything here strike anyone as being a little “strange”? They were within striking distance of a really big pride of lions!! And they were stretching their legs?? Wow. OK. The lions were very occupied but still … Wendy M
Mistakes happen and I would think that identification of the pride’s dinner would be very difficult considering the number of bodies surrounding the meal. Victoria
Well, it’s a good thing you put it out there first, ’cause the endless ribbing WILL occur! No worries, next time it will be someone else!
Hello, excellent article, all right we all make mistakes.
I’m new to the blog, could you tell me which coalition dominates this pride?
Hi Adriel,
It’s the Birmingham pride. Two big males that are left out of a coalition of 4 that took over the area (I think they were 5 originally).
are beautiful lions thank you
No shame in admitting an error. In fact, your honesty and humility provide an excellent example that we all, including some of our world leaders, could and should learn from and follow! As we say in Oakland, it’s also a HELLA funny story in hindsight. Bravo James!!