Nothing is guaranteed in the wild, not even food, and an animal that might think it has a meal in the bag can find it all disappearing before its very eyes in a matter of seconds as rivals come to ruin its day.
Bruce van Niekerk captured this dismaying moment for a crocodile that was on the very verge of enjoying itself a nice meal, only to have it quite literally stolen from its jaws.
Bruce was an a river cruise on the Okavango Delta with Bukela Africa Safaris when the group spotted a large crocodile that had captured a red lechwe, and was holding it steady, preparing itself to bring it down.
Too Slow To Succeed
Unfortunately for the crocodile, it had taken a leisurely approach to bringing down its prey, which meant that an inquisitive lioness had the opportunity to hear the sounds of struggle and come over to see what all the fuss was about.
Many predators practice kleptoparasitism, meaning they’ll steal prey from other hunters that have met with more success. It guarantees them an easy meal, and gives them the edge over competitors, so there’s really aren’t any downsides to this behavior.
With all their senses on alert, a predator will likely detect the sound of a fight and cautiously move closer to investigate, and see what the situation is. It’s entirely possible that they might be able to scavenge a hearty meal from the efforts of others, or at least finish off a wounded animal.
A Thieving Cat
This kind of opportunistic thievery was exactly what this curious lioness had in mind. She didn’t seem concerned at the possible presence of other crocodiles, and moved quickly through the water towards the struggle.
The unfortunate antelope must have known that it would be over soon, one way or another. Trapped by the croc’s jaws it was still alive and conscious, but with no way to flee as the big cat approached quickly without the need to lay an ambush.
Despite having put in the work to capture the red lechwe, the crocodile didn’t seem willing to put any effort into defending it. Perhaps it knew that the second it tried to fight off the lion then the meal would flee, and decided to cut its losses.
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One Point To The Lion
With a mighty splash of frustration, the crocodile disappeared below the surface of the water, leaving the lion to close its jaws around the prey’s neck. This was a much more effective method than gripping the leg.
If the crocodile had had the chance it might have tried to drown the lechwe, but it was the lioness’s turn, and she wasn’t wasting any time at all. She seized the lechwe by the neck and held it in the water.
Bruce told Latest Sightings that the lioness killed the red lechwe right in front of them, making for a rather gruesome sighting. The lioness had used her ingenuity to secure herself a meal, while the slow crocodile would be going hungry as a result.
