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Sean Zeederberg

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As a young boy growing up on an agricultural farm in Zimbabwe, Sean spent every opportunity entertaining himself outdoors, camping in the local nature reserve and learning about all facets of the natural world. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental ...

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26 Comments

on Ntsevu Males Attack Hyena- With An Unexpected Plot Twist

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Wow! What an exciting and somewhat scary video and stills! It’s amazing that the hyena survived though it looked injured in the hind legs. The Ntsevu males are formidable, for sure! Does their sister participate in these hunts/kills?

She absolutely does! We were alongside Kate in Nick’s vehicle as the hunt and takedown happened.

Yes, she does participate and is often the one getting stuck in there. The males add brute strength but she matches that with her drive and determination.

Wow, What an absolutely amazing, extraordinary sighting!
Did this hyena really survive or did it die later because of its wounds?
Amazing, how the other members of its family came to its rescue and drove the lions away.
These young Ntsevu adults are really formidable lions. I am looking forward to hearing more about them in the future.
They also risk a lot by coming back into Londolozi’s proper territory where there are so many other coalitions.

Yes, I believe it did survive. I have seen hyenas recover and survive after much worse injuries. I think by watching the video again, it looks like the one hyena trailing the lion afterwards is in fact the one that was in the lions jaws.

That was astonishing – I can’t believe that hyena survived! Those young Ntsevu males are really coming of age, though I’m curious about their sister and how long she will stay with them. Have you come across mixed groups like these before? Presumably their mothers are still with the Ntsevu pride, and mothers of those young 9 cubs in your recent Sunday video.

It is hard to believe that a hyena would walk away from an encounter like that. I have heard of mixed groups like this before, but what we will probably find is that in the next few months she could break away from them. This will be driven by the fact that they are all now sexually mature and could start mating with each other. She may then move on in search of other males to mate with. That is when it is going to get interesting because it is uncertain as to whether the other dominant males will accept her. And then will her brothers accept her upon her return, if she does return?

The hyena looks pretty beat up…what are the odds of it’s survival? Are you surprised they didn’t finish it off? Would they have eaten it? Amazing sighting!

I think the hyena will make a full recovery. I am surprised that it got away, but then again I don’t think the lions were serious about killing it. It might have been more of a game for them. Going through the video, I think it looks like the one hyena following the lions towards the end was in fact the one that had been caught. It would be very unlikely for the lions to eat the hyena. Often they would only kill it to reduce competition, not to eat.

Senior Digital Ranger

Amazing. I do wonder if the hyena, who could barely walk had spine or Jim damage or it was just a loss of blood and exhaustion. They didnt just save their cos nsmate but made sure the wounded hyena wasn’t followed and caught later. Just amazing!

I think the hyena was stumbling around because of a lack of oxygen, as the male lion was trying to suffocate it. So once it had let ago it took a while for the hyena to gather itself but then you can see it managing to run away. If there was any serious damage to its spine I would presume that it wouldn’t be able to run away like that. And then later on it looks like the hyena was one of them following the lion.

Senior Digital Ranger

🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

Sean what great images of the Ntsevu males and sister. They are really a force to be reconed with, and growing to be 4 handsome males. Well in the wild everyone for themselves when it comes to feeding. Only the strongest survive. Who knows maybe the sister can one day team up with the Tsalala female and begin their own pride.

Thank you so much, Valmai. They are growing into very impressive males and who knows what the future holds for them all.

That was intense. I’m glad the hyena escaped. I hope it makes a full recovery, what a traumatic ordeal! It’s hard to believe they didn’t kill it instantly given how small it is. These lions are certainly impressive and I look forward to seeing where they ultimately end up.

I couldn’t believe that they didn’t kill it either. I think if they wanted to they would have killed it straight away. Maybe this was more of a game for them.

Hi, I think that if the lion did want to kill it he would have done it. It seems more a demonstration of power. It’s incredible that hyenas followed so boldly. They eat anything, living or not and even not natural food. I saw them eating old or adult lionesses and lions alive, after all they don’t make a difference between alive or dead. This way of eating that has surely went on through their evolution favoured no chance for empathy, in contrast to lions and leopards and other big cats that show this ability in single individuals in different cases…

I agree, I think that if they really wanted to kill the hyena they would have easily.

Amazing! This was a formidable takedown, even if the hyena did get away, albeit injured, only because its pack came to its rescue. Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t these the offspring of the Birmingham males? They were formidable in their own right and the more developed Ntsevu male looks like a Birmingham. I saw the female but it looked like she hung back a bit while her brothers took control. Great footage showing this drama-what a morning!!

If the rest of the hyenas didn’t come and get involved then it would mean certain death for that hyena. Yes, these are all Birmingham offspring. The female was certainly keeping her distance once the initial take down happened.

This was an amazing scene with the camera positioned perfectly to witness the action unfold. I cannot think of any other animal that could have survived that attack. Those young males are huge and powerful. They exerted a lot of energy hunting down that hyena. I still can’t imagine how that hyena lived after such a brutal attack. The vicious rivalry between lions and hyenas is perhaps the greatest rivalry in the animal kingdom. It is always jaw dropping when these epic battles are captured on film. It is amazing how much a single grown male can tilt the balance of power regardless of the hyena numbers. These young bruisers have probably had many violent battles with hyenas growing up which has fueled their hatred. I’m sure many of these battles are veiled in the secrecy of darkness though there are many of these epic battles on YT and now this one to add to them. Great footage.

It is very unlikely that any other animal would survive that ordeal. And that is only as a result of the rest of the clan getting involved. I love the rivalry between lions and hyenas.

Great photos by Kate and Nick. We had the fantastic opportunity to be with them throughout the deliberate hunt and eventual kill. The buffalo was amazingly passive.

They are such impressive males and being able to watch them in action is awesome.

Sean, incredible pictures and video. Lions and Hyenas, what a volatile combination coming together.

It really was such an incredible sighting. The battle between lions and hyenas as arch enemies is fascinating to watch.

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