This Lion Has No Mercy and Hunts Down a Cheetah Cub In Front of Tourists

Mercy is a dangerous quality to have when it comes to hunting in the wild. While mercy has a great connotation in the human world, in the animal world it is nothing more than weakness. The number one concern every wild animal has is their ability to survive no matter what the cost. Let’s see what happens when a lion confronts a cheetah in the video above.

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Lion Hunting For Food

The Daily Mail video shown above takes us to Africa. The narrated footage shows the dangers that a mother cheetah faces in her daily struggle to protect her cubs from predators such as lions. At 1:13 into the video, we see a mother cheetah who has tucked her babies into a low-lying tree/shrub. It’s obvious that this spot is not a safe one, as more than one lioness has spotted the cheetah and is approaching.

Lion Goes for Easy Kill

The narrator describes the danger of the situation. The most important job a cheetah mom has is to protect her cubs, but she also must ensure her own survival. Self-sacrifice means death to all.

The cheetah cautiously follows one of the lions from behind, is suddenly spotted, then turns and flees as the lion pursues. This leaves the cheetah cubs vulnerable and exposed. Being young, they don’t have the proper instincts to stay hidden. Tragically, both cheetah cubs leave their hiding spot and take off across a field.

Another skill young cheetahs lack is the speed and stamina of adults. Once a lioness sees the two running, she does not have a hard time catching one and partaking in her spoils. As far as we know, the other escaped. But the mother must deal with the loss of one, and go on to make her sole surviving cub the object of her protection moving forward.

Can Lions Kill a Cheetah?

Africa is famous for wild animals such as lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, and African wild dogs to name a few. And we often view these animals as the predators that will hunt down prey. However, sometimes animals within their own families can also fight and kill each other. Both the cheetah and the lion are of the same family, Felidae.

We have to say first that the cheetah is an extremely impressive animal. They are known as being the fastest land animals that can run an astonishing 70 miles per hour, which can even outbeat the lion at their best of running up to short bursts of 50 miles per hour. The cheetah is also an excellent climber, whereas the lion can climb trees but is by no means an expert. 

However, despite all these impressive qualities, the lion is a fierce fighter. According to a study published by JSTOR Daily, “Lions and hyenas will kill adult cheetahs, but cubs are especially vulnerable.” 

Lions have a bite force of 650 PSI (pounds per square inch), and they have long and retractable claws that pack a mean punch. This gives them the advantage of easily taking down a cheetah. Or to swoop in and steal a cub as we saw in the video above. And even though cheetahs are fiercely protective over their young, this mother cheetah knew there was nothing she could do, as the lion already had her claws in deep.