An interesting article from the Africa Geographic surfaced recently about the strange, cannibalistic behaviour of a group of lions spotted near Mombo Camp in the Moremi area of Botswana. Admittedly, I felt myself draw a sharp breath of shock at the sight of the images, but it also emphasised my appreciation for the sheer animalistic instinct of these animals, regardless of how aware of them we think we are. A couple of males had caught and killed a young female from an opposing pride and were spotted feeding on her shortly after the scuffle. Faces bloodied and eyes aglow, these lions tucked into a feast all too familiar.
Ole Friede continues:
“We were on a game drive on Chiefs Island out of Mombo Camp in the Okavango Delta when we heard lions fighting in the thickets. Upon investigation we came across four young male lions that had caught a young female lion from a nearby pride. The lioness was part of a small group of lions that had a kill too far into the other territory. They were surprised by the four males, the one lioness was caught whilst the rest fled. While the four had successfully subdued the female in what had been a vicious fight they began feeding on her while she was still alive. As the lioness took her last breaths, the four males were feeding on her as if it was a normal prey animal. More bizarre was when two lionesses from the four male lion’s pride joined them to feed and in a fairly short time cleaned up the carcass to only leave a few bones.
In 20 years of safari guiding, I have never come across such strange behavior of male lions towards a female and despite total submission, continued to kill her in an act of cannibalism partaken by all. This was more than a territorial dispute, it was totally abnormal lion behavior.”
Amid the online activity exposing the giant strides that are being taken to protect the endangered lion are articles reminding us of the dangers we face should we lose them, emotionally targeted snippets of text that tear at ones heartstrings. Rightfully so – we should feel an aortic bond to these animals we so relate to; however, sometimes I feel we can get confused and misinterpret our relationships with them. There is footage of a man interacting with fully grown male lions, playing rough and tumble growling games with a good few of Africa’s fiercest carnivore and making it look safe. One is left with a muddled sense of congratulations and angry criticism after witnessing this nerve-wracking clip. Well, I can say that after looking into the photographed face of a lion as it eats a fellow specimen, any admiration I had for a man who had gained the trust of a pride of lions went out the window and was replaced with an accusation of stupidity.
Lion cannibalism is a curious subject, as I, along with others, was under the impression that it is not usual for lions to eat other carnivores, let alone one of their very own. Jason Kipling of Umkumbe Safari Lodge sets the record straight and really emphasises the true nature of these apex predators. What makes them the powerful rulers they are is their instinct to survive, and this, according to Jason is purely a display of that predisposition:
“As far as I’m concerned this is not totally abnormal behaviour, although lions are not usually considered tertiary consumers they will not let a potential meal go to waste … The killing of an outsider is mostly just eradication of potential competition and the dead animal a source of protein and nutrition that will not go to waste. They possibly also eat the dead lion to make sure that the competing hyenas in the area don’t get a free meal and in turn becoming more powerful, thus killing 2 birds with 1 stone, so to speak.”
In the words of a professional, the images of those Delta lions feasting from the belly of their fallen relative don’t seem so upsetting and unnatural. In fact they seem quite the opposite and one almost feels a sense of respect for the lions’ innate dedication to the strength and survival of their genes and position of leadership. Courteney Blunden, owner of Africa on Foot, responds to my query about this unusual kill scene with a reference to the Kruger National Park’s most notorious male coalition – the Mapogos:
“This behaviour is fairly common and it can basically be brought down to pure survival instinct. Lions like the Mapogo males were famous for killing and eating many lions during their reign of terror. Remember the female in the Ross Pride who killed and ate countless cubs including the one white cub in 2012!”
Jason’s experience in the Sabi Sand and keen interest for Big Cats also refers us experiences with the Mapogos. He says, “I have, on a number of occasions, witnessed lions feeding on another lion. If a lion is caught outside of its territory and killed it is often eaten by the attacking pride/lion. In the Sabi Sand, the well-known Mapogo coalition of 6 males killed and ate many lionesses, often even ‘raping’ them in the process as a show of dominance.”
The comments received from both Courteney and Jason have certainly taken the scare off idea of a lion-on-lion kill. What is most admirable about these creatures is their undying dominance of the wild world, the ability of the males to sire the strongest cubs and the discipline of females to feed their fruitful prices. Courteney explains the obligation of a mother Cat to protect her pride, and how deeply rooted this process is:
“Female lion and leopard will often eat a dead cub in order to rid the den sight of the smell of death, which would attract other predators. Even if their entire litter is dead, their maternal instinct to protect is not. It is a very macabre sight to see but it is almost as though it helps the mother mourn her loss and come to grips with the fact that her cubs are no longer.”
This is what it comes down to. Although this magnificent species is the reigning King capable of killing and devouring its own kind and its own young, we remain its most powerful force of protection. The existence of a healthy African ecology and economy is dependent on us, for the future of Africa is directly dependent on the mighty lion, whose longevity lies in the hands of humans. It’s time to take a stand.
Chloe Cooper
