A pride of lionesses has their eye on a clan of hyena pups taking a nap in the afternoon sun. The lionesses then sneak right up onto the sleeping hyenas!
This heart palpitating sighting was captured by 25-year-old, Accounts Manager, Kyra De Lange, while enjoying an afternoon game drive near Biyamiti weir, Kruger National Park.
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Kyra tells LatestSightings.com the story: “My boyfriend and I were traveling from Crocodile Bridge to Berg-en-Dal that afternoon, via Biyamiti Weir. We spotted a beautiful pride of lionesses (6 mature females), laying under a tree for quite some time. A herd of elephants came past and chased them away. The elephant’s interference resulted in the pride moving down to the weir.”
“Two of the lionesses spotted the hyena cubs laying in the sun near their den. At this point, I had also spotted the cubs and asked my boyfriend to make a U-turn so we can get a clear visual of the lionesses from the front. The lionesses split up with the one female heading off into the bushes.”
“Their eyes were locked, and they were ready to hunt! Stalking, the unsuspecting pups. The one female sneaks up to the sleeping hyena cub and then went in for the kill and charged the sleeping pup. However, luck was on this pup’s side as it heard the rest of the clan run in the opposite direction of the lioness and without hesitation followed in their footsteps. The instinct of the pup to follow the others allowed it to narrowly escape the female lion and make it back to the safety of the den. Allowing it to live another day in Kruger paradise.”
“At first, it was pure adrenaline and quite an overwhelming experience! It was a once-in-a-lifetime sighting. My heart has never skipped so many beats.”
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“The sighting was extremely rare, I have been to Kruger National Park about 30 times in the last 3 years, and have never come across something so amazing, and intense!”
“Make sure all windows are closed, especially when you’re two meters away from an apex predator like a lion. On a serious note, I would advocate that the viewers respect the fact that we are in the predator’s natural environment. Ensure that you do not interfere in the natural progression of the hunt.”
