The African bush is an amazing place filled with many hidden wonders. Spending time in this truly wild place affords one the luxury of observing how different animals interact with their environment as well as each other. Although many of these interactions exude serenity, there are times when the stillness is interrupted, for every day is a battle for survival between predators and their prey. The harsh reality of life in the bush is that in order for some animals to live, other animals must perish. At Londolozi, we understand that nature is about balance, and this is the lens through which we view all wildlife interactions. Rather than favouring one side over another, we simply enjoy the rare privilege of observing nature as it unfolds organically. Thus, when we came across the Nkuhuma Sub-adult lions waiting outside a warthog’s burrow, we prepared ourselves for what was to be another chapter in the long story of predator versus prey.
A lioness from the Nkuhuma Pride leads seven of the pride’s young cubs down the road. The survival of the cubs depends on their mother’s ability to provide them with food. Without this, these cubs will not survive.
We were exploring the northern parts of the reserve on a crisp autumn morning not so long ago when we discovered the Piccadilly Female Leopard walking down the road. It was early on in the game drive, so we followed her as she cut upstream into an overgrown dry riverbed. As we tried to keep up with her we noticed, to our astonishment, that up ahead lay a pride of lions. Once we had established what was going on we realized that it was the Nkhuma Sub-adult Lions and that they had stolen a carcass from the Piccadilly Female while she was probably away having a drink of water from a nearby pool. The kill had been hidden in a tree growing out of a termite mound on the bank of the dry riverbed. When she registered that her warthog carcass was gone, the disgruntled leopard slunk off into the bush.
The Piccadilly Female had to forego her hard-earned meal after the young Nkuhuma Lions dispossessed her of it.
A short while later, the lion’s attention shifted from the blood-stained tree to the termite mound at its base. Dug deep into the side of the mound was a warthog burrow and based on the lion’s sudden excitement we concluded that the inhabitants must still be inside. What followed was to be another titanic battle for survival.
The war between predators and their prey has raged on since time immemorial, and on any given day either side could emerge victoriously. On this particular day, it was the lions that triumphed but more often than not it is the warthogs that outsmart their opponents. Such is the way of nature, a never-ending struggle for survival. We were fortunate enough to catch a rare glimpse of the lengths that animals will go to in their fight for survival. We are grateful that places like Londolozi exist that allow these animals to live in the way that nature intended.
Well. there was this one warthog that came racing through………
Thanks for the blog!
Poor warthog, it disappeared in a few seconds. But also the Picadilly female, I guess leopards are about the top frustrated animals, they are robbed almost every time it seems! It must be a huge effort to keep their cubs alive and kicking. At last someone is satisfied in the end- lions…
Survival, it looked like one warthog was taken while two or three got away. Thanks Nick for providing this encounter.
Incredible!
Wow Nick, not pleasant but definitely reality in its rawest form. The second warthog that surfed his/her way through that bunch was lucky to escape. We watched a similar event right next to our vehicle in Tswalu between wild dogs and a pair of warthogs and neither warthog survived that exchange! Brutal to watch just a few feet away but as ou say,”Such is the way of nature, a never-ending struggle for survival”.
Really an epic battle between the two species, which the lions won.
Good to see your story Nick! What an exciting sighting that was, all those lions digging and waiting to get to the warthog inside. After the capture I imagine it was consumed within a few minutes considering the prey wasn’t that large and there were several of the sub adults. Watching a kill is never easy, but it is the only way the species survive. Additionally, the success rate for lions isn’t a great percentage so any time they can actually succeed, will sustain them for a bit, although in this case, I doubt if any the the lions were satisfied. Good job in shooting the video!
Now when my cat is digging in her litter box, instead of asking if she’s digging to China, I’ll ask if she’s hunting warthogs. 😂 🐗
Wow that was epic and the warthog parent running right into the lions eating the warthog baby. My goodness and the lions ate their meal right by the Land Rover. Good footage Nick.
Great job with the video, Nick. Incredible adventure so close to the vehicles.
Great sighting! Always nice to get an update on the Nkuhuma’s.
Thank you sharing
Terrific footage Nick ! As you say it’s survival of the fittest and sometimes the winner isn’t the one we expect. Nature is just amazing ..we humans could certainly learn a lot about survival and maintaining a perfect ecosystem.thanks Nick 🙏🏻💕
Nature at its rawest……wow. And warthogs do not go quietly into the night……poor wartie. But yay that the Nkuhumas got a meal!