The scene of multiple lions feeding must be one of the most high-octane, sensory-overloading experiences the bushveld has to offer. With limited space along a carcass and a pride of hungry lions vying for prime feeding positions, the scene is an intense mix of chaos and ferocity. The hierarchy within the pride comes sharply into focus during these moments, as dominant individuals assert their authority while others wait for an opportunity to grab what they can. Try as you might, no amount of hyping or explanation as a guide can truly prepare anyone for the sheer violence and the fascinating social dynamics on display. But let me set the scene first!
The Search
I’ve always felt that one of the most thrilling aspects of guiding is the unpredictability of it all. Every bend in the road holds the promise of something extraordinary. This was exactly the case a few weeks back when we rounded a corner to find the entire Kambula Pride and a single Ndzhenga Male on a very recent kill. We’d had an exciting drive up until that point with a host of interesting sightings and a good amount of exploring done but we were yet to see the lions.
The guiding and tracking team had spent much of the morning looking for the pride who was proving to be quite elusive. Nonetheless, we had some fresh tracks and were determined to find these lions.
A Well-timed Break
We’d decided that a short break from the tracking mission with a freshly ground cup of coffee was exactly what we all felt like. As we all jumped back into the vehicle Euce our expert tracker quickly hushed us all, thinking he’d heard something. There was a very soft but unmistakable growling not far from where we’d stopped for coffee. As we sped off to try to get closer and pinpoint the source of the growling I could feel the level of anticipation growing amongst the vehicle. We popped around a turn and right there in front of the vehicle were 19 lions on a nyala bull carcass.
If you’ve ever witnessed aggression between lions when feeding you’ll relate to what I can only describe as one of the most primal and violent spectacles the bush has to offer! With mostly first-time safari guests on my vehicle who had mentioned an interest in seeing some ‘action’ I could not help but grin as I watched the entire vehicle transfix on the 13-minute ordeal.
Lion’s Feeding Hierarchy
It was during this that the age-old question of “Do they share with one another? Or how do lions’ feeding hierarchies work?” came up. Typically feeding order within a lion pride is governed by a clear dominance hierarchy. Adult males eat first, followed by the lionesses, and then the sub-adults and cubs. On larger kills, competition tends to be less intense, as there is typically enough meat to go around, whereas smaller kills are fiercely contested. In the case of the nyala carcass, it was definitely the latter. Especially when you consider that an adult male lion can eat more than a third of the entire nyala carcass on his own in one sitting (100 lbs or 40/45kg’s).
Bold or Dangerous
During this particular sighting, we watched as one of the brave young sub-adult males (approaching the size of the lionesses), stood his ground remarkably close to his dominant father. Despite catching a flurry of swats and growls, he held firm, displaying a character that set him apart from the rest of the sub-adults who were forced to wait by the sidelines while the male and a few lionesses got their fill.
For me, it’s moments like these that reinforce the notion that lions have differing personalities. This young male’s boldness in the face of such aggression from his father hints at a lion with all the fight and determination in him to perhaps one day follow in his father’s footsteps and lead or become dominant over a pride of his own. It’s these glimpses of individual character that make every sighting unique and remind us that, much like the bush itself, each lion has its own story to tell.
Nic, great pictures of the lions. It is hard to feel the ferocity of the feeding without being there but, your pictures do tell the story. Thank you for posting.
Hi, this bold young guy reminds me the Mapogo as adolescents, there was one or two of them that ate together with their father (older Makulu was another matter). Older and leader Lionesses are expected to be the first among the female pride. It seems cruel to leave cubs as the last, but they rely on their mothers milk as well, and if their mothers are not fit enough to be able to hunt nobody will eat… oftentimes male lions eat what Lionesses only killed. I watched several different tactics, depending on the pride culture inherited through generations, the ecological conditions, the sort of prey and of pride… each place is different. Thank you to share, it’s always such an emotional experience to see lions acting
Great blog, Nic.
It is always fascinating to watch lions at a kill. Males first; sometimes they even steal the kill from the females and drag it a long way away just to get everything. And they don’t allow anybody to come close to it. We once saw a big pride of subadults and females who didn’t even try to get close to a wildebeest carcass the male had taken away from them.
On the other hand, once at Londolozi we watched a big pride of lions on a rhino that was killed in a rhino against rhino fight.
There one of the males allowed the youngsters to eat and chased away a female who growled at a cub.
Very interesting behavior, these different ways of “sharing” of or domination over food. I think it even more special compared to the usual lion behavior that is so family or pride oriented. The lions are often such good fathers, the females such caring mothers. But when food is to be had, everybody wants to have the “lion’s share”.
Dad probably secretly proud – ha! Love it!
Terrific account of your exciting discovery of the entire Kambula Pride at the site of the fallen Nyala. Of course the male would push all the females and youngsters aside to get his majority share but it was interesting to learn that a male sub-adult inserted himself into the feeding frenzy next to his supposed father. This is what I love about drives in the bush, they’re never the same and an amazing sighting can be just around the bend of the road.