Lion Pride Brings Down Buffalo In Epic Battle | Creative Killers 101

This is a famous battleground. These are the warriors who fight here, and have for centuries. It's one of the toughest landscapes a cat can hunt in. It's open, it's dry, and the prey is big. Savuti's predators have to be exceptional strategists. Sometimes there's nowhere to hide. Here, only creative killers survive. Savuti Botswana. A dead-end swamp surrounded by a vast thorny desert. Prey is drawn to this oasis. And lions are drawn to the prey. This is the Marsh Pride. The lions who dominate this region. Sava is the lead lioness. Two huge males are the Pride's protectors. They spend most of their time away, defending their territory. Their main concern is the nomads. Two exiled male sub-adults, trespass on Marsh Pride territory. They're just waiting to depose the Pride males. The primary prey of Savuti lions is African buffalo. The most dangerous of all prey. Impala and wildebeest leave town when it's dry. But buffalo is year-round food, if you can get it. Lions aren't the only big cats hunting in Savuti. One female leopard survives right under the lions' noses. Nikita is a clever cat. She's constantly on the hunt, but she can't attract the attention of her nemesis, the Marsh Pride. Both parties hunt an area of five square kilometres. Savuti is the footprint of an ancient super-lake. There's an elevated ridge in the west, rocky outcrops in the north, and an old shoreline in the east. These create a basin, a natural coliseum where three hunting zones meet. The Marsh plain is dry, flat land without much cover. Animals must cross it to get to water. The woodland to the west offers good cover for ambush attacks. This is buffalo hunting terrain. The scrub, the area between the woodland and the marsh, has tough conditions without much prey. The lions avoid it, so Nikita hunts here. She's learned to thrive on the toughest turf. There's water in Savuti now, but within a month it will dry up, and the wildebeest will leave town. Saba wants to catch one before they go. A wildebeest is much easier to kill than a buffalo. With eight growing cubs, she and her sisters have their work cut out for them. The Pride males are out on patrol, so Saba enlists the older cubs to help in the upcoming hunt. Savuti lions know one thing for sure. The odds fall in their favour at night time. Wildebeest have weak night vision, much like our own. Lion night vision is believed to be eight times sharper than a human's. The wildebeest are running in the dark, but the lions can see them. By using infrared lights, our cameras can see what the prey can't. On the marsh plain, the wildebeest could bolt in any direction. Instead of a solo ambush, Saba opts for the two-pronged attack. Position herself with a second lioness on one side of the wildebeest, and the adolescent cubs on the opposite side. If she can get the young hunters to scare the wildebeest towards her, it's game over. The Pride moves into position. After following the adults on countless hunts, the cubs know what's expected of them. Saba gets into position. The younger cubs begin to dance and fun. The furthest away, the lioness takes a few steps towards her. The young lioness sets up a trap. The elder cubs are caught in the trap. A young lioness runs out to catch her. The elder cubs climb on to the trap, but the young lioness is caught. The first cub makes his move. A second forces the wildebeest towards Saba. It's a tried and tested strategy tailored for this open marsh plain. Everyone eats, including the smallest. News of fresh meat travels quickly. When you're a successful Savuti predator, hyenas are your constant rivals. Saba's meal and the cubs are at risk. Despite lions being bigger and stronger, the hyenas have strength in numbers. Saba is protective of her cubs for good reason. She will defend them to the death. Saba protected her meat and her cubs with great courage, but she's paid a huge price for the victory. The hyenas fought viciously and gouged the flesh of her hind leg. It's a serious wound that could kill her if it gets infected. With Saba now injured, the whole pride is in danger. On the northern edge of the Marsh Prides territory, Africa's most resourceful cat is on the hunt. Nikita is relegated to the rocky outcrops, the hunting area no other cat wants. The pickings are slim, but Nikita's incredibly creative. Owls. It's an odd meal for a leopard, but she's an unusual cat. 10 meters up is a nest full of chicks, and the morning light means it's bedtime. For Nikita, it could be breakfast time. Nikita's just meters away from a possible barn owl breakfast. She's got to take a hunt 10 meters vertical. If she can get to the first fork of the tree quickly, she'll catch them before they flee. Timing and speed are key here. They're huddled inside. Nikita gets to work tearing down the door. One owl flies the coop. Nikita's strategy unfolded perfectly. Great innovation in action, even if it's little more than a mouthful of feathers. Leopards remove all the feathers from birds before eating them. So once the chick has been plucked, it only qualifies as an appetizer. That's why Nikita is always on the hunt. Leopards need to eat over three kilograms of meat a day to stay healthy. Nothing is off limits. If it's alive and within range, it's food. One of these jackals will be a lot meatier than an owl. She's in good grass cover. Leopards are built for the short distance sprint, so she must sneak up within 10 meters of them undetected or they'll have time to escape. Normally, it's dogs that chase cats. But in Savuti, the cats have turned the game around. The jackals are on to her. She tries to look innocent. She fools no one. The jackals alert everyone in the area to her presence. With her cover now blown, the rocky outcrop is no longer a viable hunting zone. But she must not wander too far into lion territory. She stays where they won't hunt, the harshest land with little to eat. Where their territories overlap, the pride is getting some downtime. Saba needs to rest her injury. And it's a good opportunity for the cubs to work on their hunting skills. Every interaction and play fight helps with agility, strength, and coordination. Big brothers help toughen your resolve. Savuti is a place where only the hardiest predators survive. And soon, the cubs will be expected to join Saba on a buffalo hunt. They need as much training as they can get. It's time to quench their thirst in the 50 degree heat. Something grabs the oldest cubs' attention. This mother honey badger and her cub choose the wrong morning to go for a drink. This is a chance for the cubs to put their hunting skills into practice. Honey badgers are famous for being totally fearless. This is the ultimate test of the lion cub's courage. But can the mother badger fight off three lines? She does the best she can to protect her cub. But she's outnumbered. One line drives the mother out of the marsh, while the others concentrate on the cub. The badger cub has a tough, leathery skin and razor sharp teeth. But even that is not enough to withstand the determination of the lions. It's the sad loss of one life. But this has been an invaluable training exercise for Savuti's future hunters. As evening approaches, the pride spots what they've been waiting for. The buffalo stay here year round. They can survive on the dry grass that blankets Savuti. The herd's moving into the woodland, more hiding places for a hunter. But the nomads are on the move too. They've smelt the buffalo herd, and they're making a beeline for the woodland, straight through Saba's territory. The pride males are missing. She needs them now to protect her and the pride. With her injury, she can't afford to confront the teenage nomads or the buffalo. It's far too risky for the whole pride. At three years old, the nomads are already bold hunters. Not as good as Saba, but they're filled with youthful zeal and have no injuries. For two sub-adults, pulling down a buffalo is a near impossible task. The buffalo's dagger-like horns have impaled many a line. This is prey that fights back. The nomads will taunt the buffalo until they know they have the upper hand. After dark, into the thick woodland. This will disperse the buffalo, reducing their ability to unite and stampede. The herd will have a false sense of security in the woodland, and the nomads will have cover. The trees will also give them protection from a charging buffalo mother. And they also have to look out for the marsh pride males. There are young calves in this herd, but they're heavily guarded. It's a waiting game. But patience is not a teenage trait. One nomad makes his move. The buffalo can see little in the darkness. The herd knows it needs to unite. They push back towards the open marsh plain. The lions are in too deep. There's no turning back. They face a wall of horns and hooves. And then they spot a calf, a target. The nomads face off with the buffalo bodyguards. They just need to separate the calf from the herd. Success. Just when they sink their teeth into their hard-earned meal, sure enough, they hear the sound of danger. The brothers defend their kill from every angle. But hyenas aren't the worst of their problems. The pride males are back, ready to fight for their turf. They've been patrolling another corner of their territory and missed the nomad invasion. They've got 150 square kilometers to protect. It's a needle in a haystack problem for these animals. Saba and the cubs are on the marsh plain. And they've got company. The cubs carefully watch their arch enemy. The beast they're being trained to one day take down on their very own. Buffalo are the pride's fatal attraction. They're a prized meal. But they come with a high price tag. As the nomads discovered, buffalo are equipped with a lethal stampede strategy. Apart from their deadly horns, they're also built with an armor-plated head, a living battering ram. But Saba knows she can't confidently hunt one down with her injury. If the males were around to contribute to the hunt, she wouldn't hesitate. Her hearty meal will have to wait a little longer. After being chased out of the scrub by the jackals, Nikita moves to a new hunting area. She's on her endless pursuit for something bigger and meatier, guinea fowl. They're plump, slow, and ground-dwelling, a step up from an owl. Conditions are in Nikita's favor. The flock's preoccupied with feeding. And she's got good cover. But the guinea fowl have an especially quick takeoff. So Nikita's got to get close enough to stop them. Her spotted coat helps her blend into the dappled environment. The flock is on the channel bank just 18 meters from the water. Rather than stalking through the trees, Nikita's plan is to approach the flock from below, using the bank as cover. The plan is to pounce before their quick vertical takeoff. Her expert leopard crawl gets her up the bank. She's 10 meters away. The flat terrain is perfect hunting territory. Eight meters away. They're still going about their dusting and feeding. Nikita's just meters away from her target. The birds haven't detected her yet. Finally, a kill. It may be another high-maintenance meal, but she's got to take whatever Sivuti will give her. A feathered feast is better than none. The herd's still in the woodland. Saba and her cubs are especially hungry. With the males still away, they're sitting tight. And worse, the nomads step in again and penetrate deeper into marsh pride territory. Their confidence is up, and they're headed straight for the herd. This time, in full daylight. The buffalo sense there's danger, but the tall, line-colored grass camouflages the nomads' advances. They close in on a straggler. The line doesn't get a good enough grip on the buffalo's hindquarters and is easily shaken off. The herd closes ranks, a reminder of how impenetrable a buffalo herd can be. There's a silver lining, though. The buffalo is injured from the initial attack. A lion's instinct is to go for the ankles, and this buffalo's not going far with a torn tendon. A hunting strategy has landed in the nomads' laps, and they know it. To clinch the deal, they'll rely on their customary cover, the dark. Sava and her cubs track the same herd. Their hunger is overpowering, and she can't wait for the males any longer. A daytime hunt will be tough, but there are calves in this herd, and that's a good enough invitation. This is the cubs' first buffalo hunt, and their safety is her priority. The stakes are high here. She must read the enemy's movements precisely. One lion takes cover behind Sava, but it won't do any good. Everyone's got to go out on this hunt. Without the cover of night, they'll hide in the mapane trees. Her strategy is to position herself and the cubs in an arc and then move in. The buffalo won't know where the attack is coming from. They'll flee in different directions. The chaos will leave the calves most vulnerable. The use of cover in the woodland zone is critical. The buffalo must never see the whole pride. Picking the right target is crucial. Suddenly, one cub jumps the gun and gives away the pride. Sava tries to recover the blunder. She runs to intercept them. A second cub is caught in front of the herd. Sometimes, there's great opportunity in chaos, and Sava finds it. Cubs are on it in seconds. With the nomads at large, the ravenous pride must eat and run. As evening arrives in Savuti, the struggle for survival favors its predators, something Nikita hopes will help her cause. Unlike buffaloes, her prey is nocturnal, equipped with expert night vision. So she's got to be extra sneaky. The scrub hare that lives in this hole will soon leave for its nighttime forage. And Nikita parks herself right outside its doorway. She's dead still. But does she have the patience to pull it off? In a split second, it's over. A solid grip around the chest cuts off any telltale squeals. Finally, a meal big enough to match her appetite. On the edge of the woodland, the nomads still track the herd, pushing them further into cover. Buffalo don't sleep at night. There's a far more important job at hand, fending off Savuti's nighttime hunters. Their sights are still focused on the injured buffalo. But she's guarded by an army of one-ton tanks. The nomads don't have a clear strategy. They're simply creating chaos. The lions don't let up on their assault. The dust rises, and soon the injured buffalo is left alone. The nomads take a chance. It's been a long battle on both sides. Killing an adult buffalo is a massive accomplishment for any lion. These two youngsters are doing well, even by Savuti's standards. This will keep them fed for at least three days. That's if they manage to keep it. Against this clan of 22, it's hardly a fair fight. He's surrounded. This many hyenas can rip a young lion into shreds. The lions retreat to their kill as the clan closes in. After hunting this buffalo for 18 hours, the nomad lions aren't giving up their kill. The lions are tired. Something more drastic has to be done to scare the scavengers away. Desperate, one brother makes a bold move, while the other defends the meat. Finally, the hyenas back down. But at dawn comes the real challenge. Even the hyenas are scared. The night battle has given them away. The marsh pride males have finally caught up to the intruders. It's not the meat the pride male wants. He wants his valuable Savuti territory back. The nomads don't even try to defend their meal against the 500-pound brute. But can they defend themselves? They slip away quietly from the carcass. His show of power gets him a meal and sends a warning to the nomads. Get out for good. Now the male calls in Saba and the cubs for dinner. After almost a week, the males are back with the pride. It's a bittersweet reunion. A quick greeting secures their bond. At least he's got them a meal. But no one eats before the pride male. And he doesn't share easily. The male's full belly is their big break. But there's also not a lot left after the nomads and the male got their fill. The pride has to get right back out there and take down their own buffalo. The herd's now on the edge of the woodland, moving toward the marsh plain. There's more space in the marsh, and the buffalo are more exposed. If the herd stays here tonight, the pride's got a chance. With the male back, Saba's got the reinforcement she needs to take on the ultimate challenge, a big buffalo to feed the whole pride. The open marsh is their favorite turf. The pride also has strength in numbers. This time, they'll work as one. The pride's strategy is to attack from a single angle. The open marsh plain allows them the space to mount a single offensive and allows a safe zone behind them where they can retreat unscathed. On a united front, they have more support from each other and can attack in waves, keeping up the offensive for longer. The buffalo may not see the lines in the dark, but they can smell them. The herd assembles their defensive strategy, also a united front. Predator and prey face each other down. At 1,000 pounds each, the big bulls don't scare easily. But they can't see the lines in front of them. Saba makes a move. The cubs put their training into practice. A bodyguard steps in and instead becomes the target himself. Another attempt. Within seconds, their teamwork shows its power. The pride's strategy is to draw attention away from Saba. But the target gets free. This bull is too much for the lions. The pride male takes a chance. Even under the weight of four lions, the bull's not buckling. The epic two-hour battle comes to an end. The male may not be the best hunter and protector, but his strength always comes in handy. The whole pride will benefit from this massive meal for days to come. Saba has proved herself an extraordinary Savuti hunter. With her wound almost healed and the cubs growing more experienced by the day, she's ready for the next challenge that this great battlefield has in store for her. And Nikita, the lone leopard hunter, continues to persevere in the harshest conditions ever determined to catch more meat than fowl. Through innovation, the cats of Savuti have learned to hunt this terrain perfectly. They've not only survived the harsh landscape, they thrive because of it. Hey, Love Nature fans, be sure to like and subscribe to catch all our wild animal stories. Get closer to nature, right here on YouTube.