The pride had successfully caught a warthog, however, they had not yet dealt the fatal blow before they began to feed.
What ensued was a feeding frenzy, with the lionesses feeding from the warthog with zeal, even though it was still alive!
Lions fail to deliver ‘killing bite’
Such behaviour, while difficult to witness, is not unusual among lions. Their priority in a hunt is to subdue their prey quickly and secure a meal before other predators or scavengers arrive. In the rush of a group kill, a clean, swift death is not always the outcome.
The lions were not in any rush to get up. They remained fixated on their meal, seemingly oblivious to the horror the warthog was experiencing.
Weighing between 50 and 100kg, a warthog is a formidable catch for lions. Its sharp tusks can inflict serious injury, so the big cats usually aim to grab it by the muzzle or throat to suffocate it.
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In this case, the combination of the pride’s hunger and the warthog’s thrashing may have delayed the killing bite.
It was painful to watch the scene unfold. The warthog tried to move forwards and out of the grip of the lions. However, they had the distressed creature surrounded and weren’t about to relent in their pursuit of nourishment.
Fortunately for the warthog, it would only be a few moments before death dealt its final blow.
Lions feed quickly to access nutrient-rich meat
Once on the ground and overpowered, the lions used their claws and powerful jaws to tear into warthog’s hide. They worked quickly to access the nutrient-rich organs.
No mercy was shown as the feeding continued. When a pride of lions feeds on a warthog, the meal is usually over very quickly because a warthog is relatively small compared to the appetite of multiple adult lions. In most cases, the entire carcass can be consumed in as little as 15 to 30 minutes.
The speed depends on how many lions are feeding and how aggressive they are in competing for food. A pride of five or more adults can strip a warthog to bones in less than 20 minutes, especially if they’ve gone a while without eating.
The lions typically begin with the soft underbelly, where the skin is easiest to tear, going straight for the organs, which are rich in nutrients. The ribs, haunches, and shoulders follow quickly, with little left for scavengers except skin, bones, and scraps.
Because a warthog doesn’t provide much meat for a large pride, feeding often becomes frenzied as in this memorable sighting. There might even be growls, swipes, and jostling for position.
A glimpse into the oftentimes brutal reality of nature
Scenes like this highlight the raw and often brutal reality of predator-prey interactions in the wild.
While humans may find such moments disturbing, for the lions it is simply the instinctive urgency of survival.
This brutal act was driven by instinct, hunger, competition, and the constant race to claim food before it is lost to other animals.
