Watch an Injured Lion Cornered by Hyenas be Saved by a Giant and Unlikely Hero

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The king of the jungle is roaming around the great wild. Only he doesn’t feel much like a king in this footage captured below. Photographer Morne du Plessis is videoing and photographing the wild animals as he is touring through what looks like Africa. He sees an injured lion approaching his vehicle and keeps his camera pointed at him.

The video starts with a large male lion alone in the open plain. He is seen limping along, trying to find a good place to rest that is not out in the open in fear of other predators. He passes by the caravan of tourists and the photographer. He seems unfazed by their presence. 

He limps past the caravan and across the dirt road to the other side. He is able to find a little bit of shade and cover in the rocks and brush nearby. He slowly lowers himself to rest from the injury he has sustained.

Suddenly, the videographer hears a commotion coming from behind him, he jerks the camera over, and two large hyenas are seen trotting their way over. They smelled the blood from the injured lion and were ready to take on this easy meal.

Now, as big as these two hyenas are, they know they will need their pack’s help. So they are heard signaling the pack to come over to their location. These hyenas slowly circle the caravan to stay far enough away that the lion won’t attack them but close enough where they can keep an eye on him.

The sound of pounding feet is heard on the opposite side of the road where the lion is. An enormous male elephant is headed straight for the lion. He bypasses the lion fairly quickly and surprisingly goes right toward the hyenas, almost as if he is protecting the lion. We hear the sounds of the elephant trumpeting loudly as he chases the two hyenas off. 

Why Do Hyenas Hunt in Packs?

The hyena is an animal not to be taken lightly. These beasts are known for their savageness and how they eat any animal carcass, including their bones. When we think of hyenas, we assume they are at the bottom of the totem pole. However, though they may be savages and brutal, they are smart animals. 

Many animals in the animal kingdom prefer to hunt alone, such as the male lion, cheetah, and leopard, to name a few. However, hyenas instinctively know living and hunting in a pack is easier. Not only easier for survival’s sake but also for the sake of the hunt. 

When hunting larger animals, it is difficult, if not almost impossible, in some situations for a single hyena to take one down alone. So, hyenas will hunt in packs in order to trap the animal, take them down, and then kill them. 

Hyenas are highly social animals, and they form in groups that are sometimes called “clans” but are more commonly known as packs. These packs can easily get to 100 individuals, which is astounding if you think about it. 

Now just because they are in packs does not mean they stay together 100% of the time. They will often live alone and roam by themselves. On many occasions, hyenas will hunt smaller animals alone to feed themselves. Think of it like a quick snack. And then, when the entire pack is hungry or wants to take down a large predator, the pack will come out together to hunt.

What Animals Will Attack a Lion?

There is a reason the lion holds the title of king of the jungle. Lions have a very confident and aggressive attitude in the wild. They know where they belong, the hierarchy in the animal kingdom, and they know they come out on top and act like it.

Not only do they have the attitude but the physicality to match that. Lions weigh anywhere from 260 to 550 pounds and can grow to lengths of 8 feet long. Males will have a long thick mane around their neck that symbolizes their seniority and offers attraction to females. 

The animal kingdom is filled with a dire need to survive at any cost. Because of this, other animals will fight lions. Such animals that would be willing to fight lions would be hyenas, buffaloes, crocodiles, and elephants, to name a few. 

Some animals injured the lion in the video above, and his injuries brought out other animals that were looking for an easy meal. Even if injured, a lion would not be easy to take down! Lucky for this lion, the elephant came to his defense.

Is it Normal Behavior for an Elephant to Rescue a Lion?

Yes, it is normal for an elephant to rescue a lion. Elephants are known to show compassion for other animals, humans included, and there are many instances when they have helped them as well as other herds. Elephants are very protective not only of their children but of other animals’ children. These pachyderms celebrate births and mourn deaths and they don’t usually want conflicts.

They are thought to be highly altruistic and highly empathetic animals that come to the aid of other animals in distress and there are numerous stories of elephants rescuing humans and animals. There is even a study, done in 2014, that found Asian elephants specifically have shown empathy to other animals in distress as well as notifying humans of certain situations.

How Large Are Adult Elephants?

African elephants are the largest land animals on the planet and they outweigh and outsize Asian elephants. While the majority of these pachyderms may not reach the top end of the size chart, they average in heights ranging from 8 to 13 feet. Full-grown males are larger than full-grown females and can weigh more than 13,000 pounds (females are closer to 8,000 pounds). The largest elephant on record is a male African savannah who weighed in at 24,000 pounds and stood at 13 feet.