Battle at Kruger is an eight-minute amateur wildlife video that depicts a confrontation between a herd of Cape buffalo, a small group of young lions from a pride, and two crocodiles.[1] The video was shot in September 2004 at the Transport Dam watering hole in Kruger National Park, South Africa, during a safari guided by Frank Watts. It was filmed by videographer David Budzinski and photographer Jason Schlosberg.
Taken from a small game viewer vehicle on the opposite side of the watering hole with a digital camcorder,[6] the video begins with the herd of African buffalo approaching the water, unaware that a small group of lionesses are lying nearby.[1] The lions crouch as the herd nears; it is uncertain if the lions attack first, or the lead buffalo becomes startled and turns to run, but the buffalo flee and the lions charge and disperse the herd, with a lion picking off a buffalo calf, both of them falling into the water.[1] As the lions try to drag the buffalo calf out of the water, the calf is grabbed by two crocodiles, who fight for it in a brief tug of war before giving up and leaving it to the lions. The lions then lie down and prepare to feast, but the fully regrouped buffalo herd approach and surround the lions. One of the buffalo starts the confrontation by swiping at and chasing off a lion, followed by a second buffalo charging and tossing another one of the lions into the air before chasing it away. While the remaining lions are intimidated by the initial engagement, the still alive buffalo calf struggles free of the lions' restraint and escapes into the herd. The buffalo then aggressively proceed to scatter and drive away the remaining lions one by one.[7]
Croc and lions battle for a buffalo
At 900 kilograms (2,000 lbs), an adult Cape buffalo bull can weigh as much as a small car. That's a tough target for even the most ambitious of predators. A group of tourists in South Africa's Kruger National Park recently witnessed the buffalo's steely resolve first-hand when they watched an old bull survive an attack from a pride of lions and a croc.
After an unsuccessful hunting attempt on a herd of impalas, the cats turned their attention to an old buffalo bull standing near the water's edge. The bull, wise to the intentions of the lions, retreated to the water in an effort to escape, but was quickly sent back to shore by the snapping jaws of a crocodile. While it's unlikely that a croc would typically target prey as large as an adult buffalo, these prehistoric predators will take on just about anything in the hopes of tearing off a morsel of meat (not even elephants are safe!).
Back on dry land, the buffalo was forced to defend itself from repeated charges by the lions. The cats had numbers on their side and had surrounded the buffalo making retreat almost impossible. And then the cavalry arrived. A huge herd of buffalo were making their way to the dam when they spotted the commotion and charged in to see off the threat.
For lions, attacking an adult buffalo is a calculated risk. If the hunt is successful, the spoils can provide a feast for the entire pride, but a buffalo is no easy target. Even if the lions succeed in bringing one down without getting skewered by its horns, distress calls often draw the rest of the buffalo herd to the scene.
Battles between lions and buffalos play out quite often in the African wilds, and, although they are not often witnessed, this isn't the first time we've seen these massive herbivores taking on their feline rivals. Footage from Timbavati Private Nature Reserve shows a buffalo herd successfully saving one of their own from a pride of lions on the hunt, and the well-known Battle at Kruger clip (which was filmed at this very dam) is a perfect example of a herd working as a unit to protect an individual in peril.
By this time the buffalo herd has rallied and come to rescue their baby. A large male buffalo at the head of the herd charges one of the lions and scoops it into the air with its horns and away from the calf. This is incredible! Other buffalo come to charge and the lions are eventually put at bay.
A video that has gone massively viral with over 2.5-million views on Facebook shows a buffalo bull stuck in a hard place - between a pride of lions and a group of crocodiles. The video of the buffalo fighting off its predators was shot recently at the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The hair-raising incident was captured on camera by tour guide Thuli Khumalo, reports Latest Sightings by Kruger.
In the video, a pride of lions first appears on camera chasing a herd of impalas. Their attention, however, is soon captured by a lone buffalo bull standing at the water's edge. To escape their attack, the buffalo retreats into water - and right into the jaws of a crocodile.
"The buffalo decides that the water is probably more dangerous than land, where it can potentially outrun the pride of lions that are now waiting for him to re-emerge from the water," explains Latest Sightings.
So as soon as the buffalo re-emerges on land after fighting off the crocodile, he makes a run for it. Luckily for him, this story has a happy ending. Help arrives for the poor buffalo in the form of a massive herd of buffalos that chase the lions away.
The video starts with a pair of adult buffalo with a calf leading a large herd alongside a river. From a distance, a group of four lions are resting and watching, and quickly assume a stalking position. Moments later the lions ambush the buffalo, sending them running, and pulling the baby buffalo into the water shallow water.
The video starts out with a herd of buffaloes walking towards a pack of lions. Of course the lions chased the herd, and ended up taking down a baby buffalo. The herd of buffaloes ran away, and the baby buffalo became food for the lions and crocodiles.
In the Battle at Kruger, we witness the herd of buffaloes slowly come back as a tight-knit herd and scare the lions away from their baby buffalo. When I saw this occur, two questions popped up in my mind: How is the baby buffalo still alive? Why did the whole herd of buffaloes come back to try to save a baby buffalo?
This brings me to the herd of buffaloes who came back to save the baby buffalo. With no sharp teeth, no claws, and a slower speed, it is natural for a herd of buffaloes to run away from a pack of lions. But the power of its animal instincts to protect one another is greater than its natural survival intuition. The herd of buffaloes came back to face the lions for the same reason my parents would try to save me in a similar situation, it is the instinct to protect the young and those closest to you. The thought of hurting yourself or even dying does not even come to mind. The only thing the buffaloes were concerned about was saving the baby buffalo.
It's the \"Battle at Kruger,\" an 8-minute clip of safari footage shot by an amateur. It captures lions and buffalo and crocodile in an exhilarating predator-versus-prey/prey-versus-predator scenario.
Beverly and Dereck Joubert, National Geographic explorers in residence, have been trying to capture similar encounters for more than 25 years. Their methods, and those of other professional wildlife photographers, would never be confused with those used by vacationers on safari. The Jouberts have endured attacks by elephants, buffaloes and lions; have endured constant battles against swarms of mosquitoes and the malaria they spread; and survived close encounters with crocodiles and scorpions, all in the hopes of getting that one shot of a predator-versus-prey encounter that might resemble the one captured in Battle at Kruger.
Being caught between a pride of lions and a crocodile almost certainly means impending doom. But thanks to help from some friends, this lucky buffalo managed to escape the jaws of death, proving that Cape buffalo may be the toughest animals on the African continent.
As the buffalo tried to swim across, a hungry crocodile saw an opportunity for its next meal and began lunging and biting at the bull several times as it once again headed back to land, where at least five lions stood patiently waiting.
But miraculously, the buffalo managed to keep the lions at a distance until backup arrived and saved the day. Even predators as notorious as lions fear for their lives when facing a herd of buffalo, as those massive horns can gore and kill anything animal that gets too close. 2ff7e9595c
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