A gazelle flees to a waterhole from a pack of hyenas, believing it will be safe there, until a “third party” appears.
A video captures the brutality of nature, showing a gazelle casually resting in a shallow waterhole, only to be attacked and taken down in an instant. Notably, the predator is not a crocodile, but a lion.
According to Stefan Reynders, a tourist at Kruger National Park in South Africa who filmed the video, the unfortunate gazelle was being chased by a pack of hyenas, forcing it to flee into the waterhole.
Due to their short legs and low head structure, hyenas do not have an advantage in flooded areas. They eventually gave up after a while and watched as their prey seemed unwilling to leave its shelter.
What appeared to be an incredible escape for the gazelle took a turn when a lion suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was immediately drawn to the gazelle, which was enjoying a brief moment of relaxation in the water, and approached.
The gazelle spotted the lion but seemed overly confident in its hiding spot. It made no attempt to flee, even as the predator closed in.
In an instant, the lion abruptly accelerated into the water, causing the gazelle to hurriedly turn around, but it was too late to react. With just two leaps, the lion captured the unsuspecting prey, clamped its jaws around its neck, and dragged it ashore. This was likely one of the easiest meals for the lion.
It is also evident that although lions belong to the Felidae family, they are not afraid of water as many people mistakenly believe, even though this is not their preferred hunting environment.
Encountering a lion is always a terrifying experience for gazelles.
In Western culture, lions are often referred to as “the king of the jungle” or “the king of beasts.” They are also the most social species among all wild cats, living in groups related to their offspring.
In the wild, like other felid species, they are supreme predators and apex carnivores, primarily due to the abundance of prey populations. Their ability to hunt in packs increases their success rate when targeting large and dangerous animals.
Despite their large size, lions can run very fast, especially lionesses. They can reach speeds of over 80 km/h, although they can only maintain this speed for a short duration. Lions are also known to swim and climb trees, but they tend to be quite clumsy. Many videos have captured lions climbing trees to steal prey from leopards or swimming across rivers to track herds of grazing animals, as well as searching for territory.
Despite having many survival advantages, lion populations in Africa have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Although the exact causes of this decline are not fully understood, habitat loss and conflict with humans are the primary factors.
