Some mornings in the bush, you head out with a plan, and some mornings the bush provides in ways you weren’t expecting. Heading out on a drive on a cool winter’s morning, we set our sights on trying to find a cheetah, a tall order but one we were excited about. While driving through the open grasslands where one would typically look for cheetah, we were met with a very unexpected situation that grabbed our attention.
One of the N’waswitshaka males in search of more territory and females to mate with ventured far out of his usual domain. This is a high-risk and high-reward situation, especially for a male lion by himself. Although the risk was high, the reward definitely outweighed it this time around, finding himself a buffalo kill.
Our first sight when pulling up into the area.
When we first stumbled upon this sighting, he had already muscled the Mhangeni females off their kill and was feeding like any dominant male lion does. The Mhangeni females hadn’t gone far. They lingered around the carcass, hoping to get a feeding opportunity but making no move to challenge him.
The Mhangeni sub-adult had positioned themselves a good two to three hundred meters away, watching cautiously from a distance. A clever move, as the N’waswitshaka male carries no paternal bond to those cubs. It was clear that he had been feeding on the buffalo for quite some time, as there wasn’t too much aggression. If he had just arrived, he would be actively chasing away the lionesses and proudly laying claim to the carcass.
The Mhangeni Female and a jackal waiting for any opportunity to feed.
What made this sighting truly special wasn’t just the lions, it was everything happening around them. Two hyena clans had descended on the area, and being rivals, the buffalo almost took a back seat. As the whooping, groaning and frantic chasing took place, we too forgot about the lions on the buffalo carcass.
One of the clans watching some of their members chasing off members of the rival clan.
A Black Backed Jackal searching for scraps.
A jackal darted in and out at the edges, grabbing whatever scraps it could before the chaos pushed it out again. At one point, a rhino bull walked straight through the scene, utterly unbothered, barely registering the commotion unfolding around him.
The curious giraffe watching from a distance.
A giraffe stood watching from a distance, wondering what on earth was happening. And overhead, the vultures circled and settled, adding their own airy energy to an already electric scene. For over an hour, we sat there, and things just kept coming to us.
We returned the following day to see what remained, and the transformation was remarkable. Where the previous morning had been loud and chaotic and full of life, we were now met with near silence. Almost nothing was left of the carcass except a single hyena quietly working on what remained of the head, and a handful of vultures picking at the very last scraps. Nothing goes to waste in the bush, and this was a perfect example.
What remained the following morning.
That one buffalo provided for an extraordinary number of mouths. A pride of lions, a big dominant male, two hyena clans, a jackal, and a sky full of vultures all drawn together by a single kill. It’s something I find fascinating about being able to witness the happenings out here, the way one event can set an entire ecosystem briefly buzzing. Watching nature operate at its most raw is a privilege that never gets old, and mornings like that one are exactly why we do what we do.
Thanks for the entertaining article. Always interesting to see the different dynamics.
How entertaining to witness so much diversity in such a short time. I bet no one was disappointed that a cheetah wasn’t in the cards that day.
Great article, Patrick. It’s really amazing how the last bit of an animal that got killed vanishes in the bush, apart from the horns or maybe skull bones. An the lion got more than his share, as usual. Well he is a big boy.
I really enjoyed your story today Patrick as I completely understand how heading out on a drive with a focus to find a specific animal can change in a heartbeat. Finding the Buffalo carcass was a fantastic way to spend your drive observing how this carcass would provide nourishment to not only the lions but other predators as well.
Hi Patrick, everyone was trying to get in on the carcass but that male lion was not having anything of sort. The giraffe was watching from a dizzy height, hyenas all around and jackal darting in and out for just a piece of meat. Vultures had to wait until the end off course to pick off all the meat that still remained. Chaos at a carcass and then everything goes quiet.