15 Merciless Moments When Male Lions Attack Their Prey

15 Merciless Moments When Male Lions Attack Their Prey
Lions hunt in pride and it’s usually the females that bring home the food. However, that doesn’t mean male lions never hunt. Have you ever seen a male lion attack a cheetah? What about a bear? If you like big cats, stay tuned as we count down 15 merciless moments when male lions attack their prey.

Hyena

Lions and hyenas hate each other, and they are not to be invited to the same party unless you want to see blood splattered all over your living room. Hyenas hang around in large clans and when they put their minds to it, they can give smaller lion prides a run for their money. However, it all depends on how many males are in the pride because they’re the difference makers. In our first video, this male lion chases a hyena in the bush. The hyena manages to barely escape the lion as it runs for its dear life. During a night ambush, this older male lion shows the advantage male lions have over hyenas when two hyenas run for their lives after almost be snatched by the big guy. This male lion destroys this very small hyena. No matter how loud the hyena screams, this lion shows no pity or remorse when it finishes it off. Finally, this male lion chases this hyena, and it doesn’t give up until it catches up to it. What a powerful animal the lion is and when you see it in action this way, that’s when you realize it.

Buffalo

Although there are few opponents capable of destroying the lion, there is one formidable foe the lion must avoid. While lions can kill practically any prey, especially when acting together, buffalo are famously difficult to kill. When it's time for a hardy dinner, a lion on its own would have a hard time taking down a cape buffalo, so they normally band together. It's also fascinating to witness how buffalos help one another when they're in trouble. They do most of the time, but occasionally they will take a long time to react, giving the lions enough time to finish off their prey. The worst thing a buffalo can do is turn its back to an approaching lion and these buffalo are doing exactly this in our first clip. When they all turn around and run, the lion isolates one of the creatures and tackles it to the ground. Do you realize how powerful the feline must be to bring down a 2000-pound buffalo?

Once the lion has the buffalo by the neck, it’s not a sure thing, but it will be difficult for the horned animal to escape such a grip. And when a second male joins in, it’s game over. In South Africa's Kruger National Park, a pride of four lions mauled a buffalo just meters away from people. This one buffalo had a significant limp, which caused it to fall behind its herd, which is exactly what lions look for while they're hunting. One of the lions suddenly lifted its head, noticing the buffalo. Then all hell broke loose, and the lions began chasing it. The lions pulled the buffalo down mere meters in front of the jubilant crowd after slipping on the tar road. Our next video also takes place in Kruger National Park, where a three-lion coalition cornered an injured buffalo before putting it out of its misery. I’m sure the buffalo would have enjoyed a few more days alive, but this is the life in the bush. In this video, this male lion is challenged by a herd of buffalo and the lion keeps scaring them off, but they keep coming back, always facing the feline. If the lion doesn’t get too close, he should be okay. Finally, these three male lions eventually haul down a buffalo after a week of hunting. Even when 400 buffaloes arrived to help the unfortunate victim, the lions refused to give up until the herd left.