safari experts, since 1991
See how we earn 5 starsTrustpilot - 5 stars
×
SEARCH OUR STORIES
SEARCH OUR SAFARIS
Africa Geographic Travel

Guests on one of our Maasai Mara safaris were lucky enough to witness the legendary Musiara Marsh Pride of lions take on a large clan of hyenas that were determined to rob them of a recent Cape buffalo kill.

hyenas

The overnight hunt was an exhausting affair for the lions, with the powerful buffalo seeking refuge in deep pools on several occasions, before eventually succumbing to the determined and experienced lions. The lions feasted well, and in the morning all had bellies full to bursting. Many of the pride members moved away from the buffalo carcass to drink and rest. That’s when the clean-up crew of jackals, hyenas and vultures moved in to pick the carcass clean.

Marsh-Pride-Lions-on-Buffalo Lions-on-Buffalo

The few lions that remained at the carcass were soon outnumbered, as 60 hyenas (not all can be seen in the video) gathered and ripped the carcass to shreds, consuming all remaining meat.

hyenas

The brazen and confident hyenas set off in pursuit of one lion and her cubs at one stage, but full bellies and the return of a few more lions halted that charge. During the melee, Siena (a lioness famous for killing hyenas) made a comeback attempt, giving a few retreating hyenas a fright as she bowled them over. In the end, though, full bellies won the day and each protagonist retreated to safety.


Find out about KENYA for your next African safari – find a ready-made safari or ask us to build one just for you.


 

To comment on this story: Login (or sign up) to our app here - it's a troll-free safe place 🙂.


HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC:

  • Travel with us. Travel in Africa is about knowing when and where to go, and with whom. A few weeks too early / late and a few kilometres off course and you could miss the greatest show on Earth. And wouldn’t that be a pity? Browse our ready-made packages or answer a few questions to start planning your dream safari.
  • Subscribe to our FREE newsletter / download our FREE app to enjoy the following benefits.
  • Plan your safaris in remote parks protected by African Parks via our sister company https://ukuri.travel/ - safari camps for responsible travellers

AG Logo
About

We're an eclectic pack of safari experts, storytellers, admin and tech nerds and digital natives whose sole mission is celebrating Africa and doing good. We do this by creating life-changing, responsible safaris just for you, publishing informative, factual articles about Africa's incredible natural wonders and raising donations for worthy causes. This MANIFESTO explains our approach to travel and conservation.

Africa Geographic Travel
[wpforms id="152903"]
<div class="wpforms-container wpforms-container-full" id="wpforms-152903"><form id="wpforms-form-152903" class="wpforms-validate wpforms-form wpforms-ajax-form" data-formid="152903" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data" action="/stories/video-60-hyenas-take-lion/" data-token="a6cae8a892a70e41bbb5cd0d1fbb1739"><noscript class="wpforms-error-noscript">Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.</noscript><div class="wpforms-field-container"><div id="wpforms-152903-field_1-container" class="wpforms-field wpforms-field-email" data-field-id="1"><label class="wpforms-field-label wpforms-label-hide" for="wpforms-152903-field_1">Email Address <span class="wpforms-required-label">*</span></label><input type="email" id="wpforms-152903-field_1" class="wpforms-field-medium wpforms-field-required" name="wpforms[fields][1]" placeholder="Email " required></div></div><div class="wpforms-submit-container"><input type="hidden" name="wpforms[id]" value="152903"><input type="hidden" name="wpforms[author]" value="284"><input type="hidden" name="wpforms[post_id]" value="70931"><button type="submit" name="wpforms[submit]" id="wpforms-submit-152903" class="wpforms-submit" data-alt-text="Sending..." data-submit-text="Subscribe" aria-live="assertive" value="wpforms-submit">Subscribe</button><img src="https://africageographic.com/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg" class="wpforms-submit-spinner" style="display: none;" width="26" height="26" alt="Loading"></div></form></div> <!-- .wpforms-container -->