Check Out This Video Of Lions Trying To Take Down A Giraffe

Most solitary big cats like leopards may well be happy to hunt moderate sized prey, but lions which are a social species can be very ambitious when it comes to the type of species they take on. Thanks to hunting as a pride and the need to feed every member, the big cats have been known to be willing to take on buffalo bulls and even elephants. One of the more sizeable meal options for lion prides are giraffes but taking one down is by no means an easy task.

Stalking a giraffe

A group of tourists on a recent game drive in South Africa’s Klaserie Private Nature Reserve were lucky enough to witness a pride of lions trying to take down an old giraffe bull. When the tour group first encountered the lion pride they were doing what they love to do which was sleeping. After a few minutes the pride began to move off following their morning nap. The tour group followed the pride for a while and eventually noticed that they seemed to be targeting a lone giraffe.

Five hour attack

The group members said they sat quietly in their vehicles as they watched the lions close in on the old giraffe bull. The pride crept within striking distance of the giraffe before launching a full-scale attack. The most aggressive lion leapt onto the giraffe’s back which is about 3.5 metres of the ground and held on to dear life whilst the other members of the pride gripped on to the bull’s leg. It would seem the giraffe had sustained some kind of injury to its rear left leg which is probably why the pride were targeting him to begin with. The pride spent five hours trying to take down the giraffe but the old bull did not seem to be willing to give up without putting up a jolly good fight first. Eventually the big cats gave up and moved on, leaving the battle-scarred giraffe alive to survive another day.