A video shows the moment several lions held up traffic on a street in South Africa.
New footage posted on the Lions of Kruger Park And Sabi Sand Facebook account shows four lions “on patrol” in Kruger National Park.
The video generated more than 2 million views on the social media website.
“What a gorgeous sight,” said one Facebook user.
“Such beautiful majestic animals, one can’t help but admire them,” said another.
“The elders leading the new leaders of the pride – a beautiful sight,” added one person.
“What MAGNIFICENT creatures!” added another. “Stunning but scary,” a third person stated.
According to wildlife photographer Grant Atkinson, “Male lions in Southern Africa typically live in coalitions. In the southern African region, south of the Zambezi River, the average coalition size is around two males. Actual coalition sizes can vary from two males to seven males.”
“These coalitions are normally made up of lions that are brothers, and often half-brothers, and cousins. They usually have their beginnings when these males are all still cubs, living in their natal pride. It has been recorded though that unrelated males may join up and form coalitions later in their lives,” he added.
Mantimahle On PatrolDecember 28,2018
由 Lions Of Kruger Park And Sabi Sand 发布于 2018年12月28日周五
Atkinson said that successful lion coalitions can easily find females.
And when they have “gained access to females, they typically become more settled for a while, and spend much time mating and siring cubs,” he said.
“Another thing that happens is that males within a coalition may also begin to move on their own. Almost invariably these solitary ranging movements by the males are temporary, and are driven by the desire to find new females. Wandering males typically return, after a day or perhaps a week, to their coalition partners,” the photographer observed.
Viral Fight with Hyenas
A few weeks ago, footage of a lion fending off more than 20 hyenas was shared en masse.
The lion, named Red, goes into hyena territory and becomes surrounded.
“As they mature, young males begin to explore the boundaries of [lion] pride’s territory,” the BBC commentator says. “Red has ventured out alone … and straight into the middle of the hyena camp.”
More than 20 hyenas then swarm around the lion, inching closer and closer.
They take turns attacking the lion in groups. The lion can’t fight all of them at once.
Then, another lion, Tatu, hears “the commotion” coming to the rescue.
According to the IUCN Red List, between 20,000 and 39,000 lions are dispersed in the wilds of Africa.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says, “Lions are top predators in their environment, whether that’s grasslands, desert or open woodland. It means they play a crucial role in keeping a healthy balance of numbers among other animals, especially herbivores like zebra and wildebeest – which in turn influences the condition of grasslands and forests.”
It adds that three-quarters of African lion populations are on the decline.
From The Epoch Times
