Tiny antelope amazingly risks walking past sleeping lions

Unconventional events in nature have amused and confused mankind for centuries.This video is a great example of one of those mind boggling events that took place in the African wild.Show more

We came across two large male lions while on safari in the Kruger Park, South Africa. They were lazing around and occasionally falling asleep. While the big cats were dosing off, we noticed a tiny antelope called a steenbuck. He was busy feeding, directly opposite the lions, less than a hundred meters away. Clearly he hasn’t noticed the lions, or did he? As he kept moving closer, our hearts started beating faster by the minute. He carried on feeding towards the lions and eventually walked past them, a mere ten meters away! At this stage we were all very confused. Why would he risk his life walking past so close? Did he even see the biggest cats on the continent, lying right out in the open? How was it possible that the largest predator in Africa totally missed the opportunity for a quick snack? Lions are opportunistic hunters.They hunt anything from mice to elephants if the opportunity presents itself, even when they are not very hungry. A highly developed sense of smell and incredible hearing give these apex predators a big advantage over most of their prey. Steenbuck, the smallest antelope in the park, have remarkable eyesight along with big round ears for superior hearing. They are on the menu for most predators in the wild and need these senses to survive in the wild.

Surprisingly enough, none of these common facts really came into play on this very day. It looked like the antelope had no clue the lions were there in the first place. At the same time the lions were probably so fast asleep, they never even heard the steenbuck walking past. In the end, all we really know for sure is that it was a good day for both animal species. The steenbuck lived to see another day and the lions enjoyed an uninterrupted sleep to regain some much needed energy.