KENYA: Lions in Ambush

Driving through the short-grass plains of the Maasai Mara reserve, our hearts suddenly raced at the sight of seven lions – two males and five females. The majestic cats were spread out over an area about 200 meters in length. Though we had been lucky with numerous cat sightings this safari, lions never failed to bring excitement, and we stopped immediately to see what might happen.

Two Maasai Giraffe surveyed the scene, wary of the cats, but eventually walked away. We focused our attention on a family of Warthogs that came into our view, walking unknowingly towards the hunters. One lioness seemed particularly intent on them and crouched down low, while the others remained nonchalant. The Warthogs became aware of the cats within a few hundred meters, but continued to proceed at a safe distance. The intent lioness began to walk towards them, followed by a male lion.

As the Warthogs picked up the pace, so did the Lions. A third lion joined the hunt, taking the lead in the pursuit. The powerful feline hunters have little stamina to sustain any pace, relying upon surprise as much as strength to catch their quarry. In such open habitat with ample distance between the pride and the Warthogs, we were betting on this prey to escape unharmed. Indeed, the comical Warthogs outpaced their visible predators, and the three lions began to drop back. Suddenly, we noticed three lionesses positioned in a totally different direction, first crouching, then stalking. Our earlier impression of nonchalance among the pride members was actually a carefully orchestrated ambush! The closest female sprang to the chase. Seven Warthog tails stood straight up as the group moved more quickly than we thought possible.

Riveted to the action, we realized that the lioness was not going to catch the fast-moving Warthogs. Instead, she drove them towards the second lioness who picked-up the chase. Only about one in three hunting attempts are successful, and these Warthogs were safe for the moment. What a marvelous ending to another afternoon game drive in East Africa!