Somehow This Lone Buffalo Survives a Lion Pride, Crocodile, and Dangerous Water Crossing at Once

Kruger National Park in South Africa is home to a wide variety of animals. When people visit Kruger, they see all kinds of sights. Some of them are beautiful, like the birth and first steps of an elephant. Other scenes are distressing as nature takes its course and animals consume one another. In this video, an older, lone buffalo struggles to live another day as it is targeted by dangerous predators.

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The video opens with a herd of antelope running across a field. However, the focus of the video quickly shifts as a large buffalo rumbles into the frame, galloping along a river bank. Suddenly, the massive mammal changes directions. In the background, a lion trails the buffalo, keeping its distance and waiting to strike.

The buffalo sees the threat and decides to run into the river where it has a better chance of outrunning the threat. The buffalo earns a respite as it starts to swim across the river. The lion stares from the riverbank as its potential meal disappears.

Not Out of the Woods Yet

For a moment, it looks like the lone buffalo has survived the encounter. Yet, the buffalo senses something is amiss and begins swimming against the current. Suddenly, a crocodile emerges from the water and bites at the buffalo!

The crocodile has no trouble keeping up with the buffalo’s pace in the water, forcing the creature to turn back to the shores from whence it came. By now, a small pride of lions has gathered to watch the spectacle.

The buffalo makes it to the shoreline and stands, stuck between the claws of a group of lions and the jaws of a dangerous crocodile. The standoff continues for minutes as the lions can’t decide whether they want to risk attacking.

The buffalo runs toward one of the female lions as the others begin to flank and surround it. It changes directions and attacks a male, forcing the lions to chase after it. Next, the buffalo makes another charge through their ranks, seemingly sealing its fate. After all, the buffalo has five lions watching its every move.

However, the lone buffalo had made a calculated move. A herd of buffalo moves through the trees, backing up the solo buffalo, and saving its life. A person off-cameras jokes how the lions had forgotten about the other buffalo, and now they had missed their opportunity.

The video ends with several dozen buffalo emerging from the tree line and drinking from the river where their friend almost met its end. This buffalo was incredibly lucky, but many of them are not. Their homeland is fraught with danger. Any one of them that finds itself alone, weak, or old is a likely target for lions and other large predators.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Tim Malek/Shutterstock.com