This morning, we set out in search of giraffe and cheetah, but when we heard via the bush telegraph that the Western lion pride was on the move, I couldn’t resist checking it out. As we approached the sighting, we saw two lionesses heading towards Rhino Dam, soon followed by four sub-adults and the dominant male, who was busy chasing the male cubs around. The young male lions were growing up fast, and the dominant male was making it clear that he no longer wanted them near the females. Meanwhile, the young female was in a playful mood, joining her father in chasing her brothers around.
A Symphony of Roars: Lions vs. Hippos
Finally content with the distance he had chased the young males away, the Tembe male started roaring. Soon, the females joined him, and we found ourselves as spectators to the entire pride vocalizing right in front of us. The hippos in the dam didn’t appreciate the noise one bit and began responding with their own loud vocalizations.
A Close Encounter: Curious Lioness Meets Angry Hippos
Intrigued by the ‘laughing’ hippo noises, the young female lion went to investigate. As she got closer to the water, two of the hippos had had enough and suddenly charged out of the dam, speeding up to chase the lioness and two of her brothers behind her. Hippos are highly territorial, and believe it or not, they can move incredibly fast when needed—easily reaching speeds of 30 km/h. With two hippos, each weighing over a ton and a half, charging at them, even the bravest lions got a big fright and ran off!
A Dramatic Conclusion
Within 30 seconds, the two hippos were back in the water, joining the rest of the pod lounging in the dam. After all the excitement, the lions settled down on the dam wall for a rest, ending the thrilling sighting with a final, powerful roar.
