Watch a Lion Surprise Dinner and Get Quickly Frontflipped

This video is both incredible and brutal. It is upsetting because it shows, in graphic detail, the death of an animal. However, it also shows nature at its most powerful and we can only admire the two brave animals involved in this fight to the death. The footage was taken at the Maasai Mara national game reserve in Narok, Kenya known for its wild and rugged landscapes and rich diversity of animal species.

Lioness Hunting an Eland

Lionesses usually hunt as a pride. They work as a team and this allows them to capture larger prey without having to put in too much effort. Lions tend to hunt by sneaking up on their prey and then giving chase. If they can find something to hide behind, that is even better.

In this video we see a lioness who is apparently hunting alone. She cleverly uses the parked vehicles to hide her approach. To the right of the trucks is a poor unsuspecting eland.

Eland are a type of antelope and part of the Bovidae family which are native to several areas of southern Africa. They like to live on grasslands, woodlands, mountains, and savannas. Their diet is made up of mainly high-protein plants and they prefer the leaves of flowering plants but will eat whatever is available.

Brave Lioness

An adult eland is a big challenge for a lioness. They can grow to over 2,550 pounds and reach nine feet in height. They don’t have a great deal by way of defence against predators apart from their size, camouflage and horns. However, they are very athletic and agile (they can leap over a four-foot-high fence) and are good at dodging! They also have great stamina. As you can see here, the eland is able to flip the lioness onto her back which puts her in a vulnerable position for a few seconds.

However, the more powerful lion is able to eventually overcome the eland. As well as lions, eland are also hunted by other large predators. These include hyenas, leopards and wild dogs. Some other smaller predators may target eland calves.

Human populations in Russia and South Africa use eland milk and meat in their cuisine and they are often treated like cattle.

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