Another meal for a fierce pride

One of the most requested sightings is a kill. People don’t understand the luck aspect involved. Then when they see it for the first time, they are often horrified by the savagery of nature as the battle between life and death is acted out before their very eyes.


After our sundowner stop, Mpho our wilderness tracker, informed us of some lion in the southern section of the reserve. Patrick and I entertained a group for only one night and as they hadn’t seen lion at the previous lodge there were no negotiations. We had to go and find these lions.

When we got there we found four lionesses and two young males. This was a pride I’d never seen before, so confusion ruled for a short while. Once I found my bearings I started to concentrate on what was happening in front of me. Two of the lionesses were quite playful and pretty easy on the eye. The eldest lioness was all business and walked in a northerly direction. Then her behaviour changed. The other lions instinctively caught on to what was happening and started to spread out. We knew they had seen something, but we hadn’t seen their target yet.

Then we saw them! A breeding herd of Impala about 50 meters away. During these hunts, the ethical thing to do is to switch all lights off. We therefore ensure that there is no interference from our side. So fair is fair, let the play begin.

The eldest female took up the centre. Quietly lying, ears pricked and eyes focused. She started to creep forward. The Impala at this point had no idea what was happening but started to mull around, moving closer together and huddling in a tight ball. We sat patiently, waiting, listening for any sign of the drama, waiting to unfold.

Then BANG! An explosion of sound, hooves and snorting. CHAOS! The lights went on revealing the eldest lioness anchoring one impala. The others rushed in and then the carnage began! Teeth, claws and flashes of tense muscle! The poor impala never stood a chance. A light breeze had been blowing and the lions were on the right side to start off with. With it being night time, the impala couldn’t see them either. The lions ripped the body apart, showing no remorse. This was raw nature! The big cats squabbled over the little meat the impala could offer.



After about 10 minutes we decided to head back to the lodge (The guests were hungry after the show). We slowly left the scene, the excited chatter just starting when BAM, a second impala! One of the young females had taken advantage of the chaos and had one all to herself. Another young female had moved away from the competition of the first kill. She took her opportunity, and pounced on the carcass. The lionesses then started wrestling and pulling. The competition started all over again.



We watched the new, unexpected drama for a while. The luck of evening started to dawn on us and we left a second time.

I dug around and found out that these lion were a part of the Hamiltons Pride from the Mluwati concession in the Kruger National Park. They were on very dangerous ground being right in the middle of Matimba territory. It was the first time they have been seen on the reserve and hope to see them again soon!

Darren Roberts-York

All Video Taken with a Nikon Coolpix P510