Safari guests observing lions at an elephant carcass over the weekend were “stunned” to witness the pride turning ferociously against an interloper.
The accompanying footage, captured in South Africa’s Thornybush Nature Reserve, shows the lions appearing content alongside the carcass after their feast.
But one lion, front and center at the carcass, was from a rival pride and that spelled trouble.
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“The young Avoca Male casually walked into the Monwana Pride and fed with them on an elephant carcass (as if he was part of the pride),” photographer Almero Klingenberg, who captured the footage, explained via Instagram. “A few minutes later, Mapoza showed up and together with his sons, they chased the intruder away.”
That’s understating matters based on the graphic footage.
Cameron Scott, owner of Royal Ngala Safaris, shared the footage and stated that guests were “stunned” by the “chaos” that unfolded.
Scott continued: “The young Avoca male Lion joins the Monwana pride on an Elephant carcass and is immediately disciplined and chased off by my favorite blue-eyed Mapoza and his boys!
“He’s lucky to escape alive.”
Mapoza is a large dominant male lion who’s blind in his right eye, which is blueish-gray in color. Thornybush Nature Reserve refers to Mapoza as “The Lion With One Eye.”
