Night Vision Camera Shows a Lion Waiting Its Turn in Line Behind an Elephant at a Watering Hole

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Lions and elephants must co-exist in their homeland, Africa. It goes without saying that they will eventually be in the same place at the same time. Lions and elephants often meet one another at watering holes such as this. What happens when the two come together?

Filmed by a live wildlife camera near Ol Donyo Lodge in Kenya, Africa, this peaceful video shows a surprising example of apparent mutual respect between a lion and an elephant at a watering hole. What makes this video even more incredible is that it was filmed with night vision technology!

Truce for a Drink of Water

The video begins with a massive elephant taking a dust bath near a watering hole. After about 30 seconds, a young male lion appears, walking onto the screen from the left. He calmly lays down in the dirt, his eyes on the elephant. The lion yawns and licks his lips. He appears to be entirely uninterested in anything at the moment. Suddenly, he looks off into the distance in front of him. His ears perk up, and he stares intently. As the camera zooms in, the lion calls out. We do not hear any return calls. The lion settles back down yet keeps watch all around.

Another few moments pass, and the lion licks himself absentmindedly. Finally, the camera zooms back out to show the elephant again. All of a sudden, two shining eyes appear behind the elephant. Is another animal approaching? It seems so, yet the eye disappears, and nothing happens for a while.

The lion and the elephant continue peacefully going about their business. Then, the owner of the mysterious eyes appears in the background. It’s a jackal! It doesn’t seem keen to stick around with the two much larger creatures.

After a while, the elephant resumes its dust bath. It seems to be oblivious to the lion. Eventually, the elephant decides to move off. It walks so close to the lion, but the lion doesn’t budge. He waits another minute or so before getting up to get a drink from the watering hole. He drinks and drinks for about two minutes straight! When he’s finished drinking, he stands and walks into the darkness. He stops just at the edge of the view and surveys the surrounding land. He calls out again into the night. Perhaps his pride (family of lions) is nearby. He listens again, but no return calls come. In the end, the lion walks into the darkness and out of the camera’s view.

What an incredible video to witness! Is this a normal interaction between the two species? Let’s learn more about lions and elephants before watching the beautiful video below.

How Do Lions and Elephants Interact in the Wild?

Typically, lions will take care to avoid adult elephants and vice versa. Most lions know full well that elephants pose a great threat to them, especially when protecting their young.

Elephants often warn lions by stamping their feet, trumpeting through their trunks, flapping their ears, and even charging at them. All of these actions tell lions to back off. If they get too close, they could easily be stepped upon or catch a sharp tusk into their flesh. Baby lions (cubs) are the most vulnerable when it comes to elephants. Cubs could easily be crushed, even by accident, beneath the elephant’s monstrous weight.

The Pride That Hunts Elephants Regularly

One lion pride resorts to hunting elephants nearly exclusively when food becomes scarce during the dry season. One study showed this lion pride in Chobe National Park, Botswana, increased elephant kills between 1985 and 2005. Called the Marsh Pride, it consists of 30 lions. Records show they took down an elephant every three days in 2009. Most of the kills were young elephants between 4–11 years old. The study suggested that elephants in this age range were more likely to become prey to lions due to their move toward independence from their mothers. Who do you think would win an elephant versus lion fight?

Baby, Elderly, or Sick Elephants

When it comes to baby elephants (calves), the pride may try to separate them from the herd. If the lions successfully remove the calf from its mother and the herd, they stand a good chance to kill the baby and earn their dinner. This is a huge loss for the elephants but a robust meal for the lion pride.

The Circle of Life isn’t just a fun Disney song. The tune refers to the end of one animal’s life, which gives way to the life of another. All that is to say, elderly or sick elephants also become targets of lions. Elephants that can no longer defend themselves may fall behind, separating them from the herd. While elephants usually pay close attention to all herd members, a rush attack from lions can separate the herd with fear and confusion. Though they are unaware of their sacrifice, the elephants lose their lives to feed the lions. It may be sad to think about elephants dying, but such is the circle of life.