Let me set the scene! The dust has barely settled. A pride of lions lie panting in the shade, bellies swollen, looking absolutely rotund. Around them, a different energy begins to stir. One that signals the next chapter in the natural cycle that is taking place in front of us so often.
While the lions may take centre stage, what follows after a kill is a drama of its own. Here at Londolozi, the scavenger community of hyenas, vultures, jackals, and even some birds and insects you might not expect play an equally vital role in the grand theatre of the bush. Their arrival is rarely subtle and almost always chaotic. And yet, it’s essential. These animals ensure that nothing goes to waste.
Although vultures are often overpowered by the larger scavengers, their sheer numbers can be intimidating enough to hold a kill for themselves.
A Waiting Game
Often, the scavengers are there long before the meal is over. Spotted hyenas and hooded vultures in particular are masters of patience and boldness. With especially heightened senses, you see them circling the perimeter of the pride, calculating risk versus reward. Hyenas are not just opportunists; they’re intelligent, social, and incredibly strong. Their powerful jaws can crack bone, a reminder that they’re not just cleaners, but apex predators in their own right when the chance arises.
Aerial Eyes on the Scene
Look to the sky, and you’ll likely see vultures riding thermals, scanning the landscape with extraordinary vision. Once a carcass is abandoned, or even before it begins to descend into spirals, it triggers a cascade of movement on the ground. Different species of vultures often arrive in succession. The Lappet-faced Vulture, with its imposing size and strong beak, usually takes first dibs, tearing through tough skin and sinew. White-backed and Hooded Vultures follow, each with a specialised role in breaking down what’s left. Ironically, the hooded vulture, lowest down in the feeding hierarchy, often arrives first.
Their efficiency is astonishing. In under an hour, a carcass that once weighed hundreds of kilograms can be reduced to clean, white bone. It’s nature’s most effective clean-up crew, and it works like clockwork.
The Smaller Players
It’s not just the obvious scavengers who benefit. Black-backed jackals and even genets may sneak in for a quick mouthful when the chaos dies down. Marabou Storks, often overshadowed by their equally odd-looking avian cousins, play a critical part in tidying up scraps that others miss. Even dung beetles, often arriving long after the drama has subsided, play a surprising role in recycling what little organic material remains.
The jackal got a fright as one of the lions got up to move to the shade, it temporarily ran away while ensuring to look back over its shoulder
More Than Just Leftovers
There’s a quiet genius in the way this web of interactions unfolds. Each species knows its place in the hierarchy. The kill site becomes an open organisation, a place to witness not only brutality and competition, but also coexistence and balance.
For us as guides and for our guests, this part of the story is often just as captivating as the hunt itself, bar the smell, of course. The adrenaline of a predator’s chase is unforgettable, yes. But it’s the slower, more intricate unravelling of the aftermath that reveals the bush’s deeper intelligence.
This photograph was taken at an elephant carcass from a few years ago, as you can see, it becomes a feeding frenzy for scavengers. In this frame, you can see the vultures scattering as hyenas approach the carcass to feed
A System Without Waste
In the bush, waste is a foreign concept. Everything is reused, consumed, and returned to the land in some form. What lions leave behind becomes fuel for a dozen other species. And what isn’t eaten decomposes naturally, feeding the soil and closing the loop of life in a cycle that has worked for millennia.
It’s messy, it’s sometimes smelly, but it’s also beautifully effective. A testament to the efficiency and design of nature, where every player, big or small, predator or scavenger, has a crucial role.
Fascinating topic, Nic. It is really amazing how efficient nature is. If left alone, it is nearly completely clean. Thanks to all these scavengers that do such a brilliant job. Especially compared to us humans…
Nic, I wonder if that elephant carcass was the same one I saw up in Marthly Nov ’21? – dozens of vultures and several hyenas scrapping for food. It was compelling viewing (apart from the smell!) Suddenly 1 of the hyenas raced away, followed by the others. We soon understood why when the 2 Plains Camp males came into view!
Hi Nic, I have often wondered what happens to the skin of the prey. Sean kindly told me that nothing goes to waste and the lions eat everything. Whatever is left the scavengers eat. Nothing is left once the scavengers are finished with a carcass. The cleaning crew do a good job and cleans up every bit of meat.
Thanks for your descriptive blog Nic highlighting the effectiveness of the many scavengers that come in to clean up a kill once the predators have had their fill. It is amazing that an animal such as an elephant can be reduced to bones within 2/3 days, thanks to these avians and smaller predators. Yes, the smell can be atrocious but does dissipate rather quickly. This just proves that a carcass never goes to waste and in fact contributes to the circle of life in the bush.