Lion kill at DumaTau Camp

The Savuti lioness and her two sub-adult cubs killed a zebra about 300 metres from DumaTau Camp in the Linyanti, Botswana. The whole drama was observed from beginning to end. The three cats were initially spotted at Osprey Lagoon, two kilometres north-east of the camp. They looked very hungry but spent most of the morning resting in the shade. In the afternoon we tracked and found them stalking a herd of zebra close to camp. They failed a number of times, the two sub-adults ruining their mother’s attempts with impatience.

Eventually however the youngsters managed to flank around the stallion and chase him directly at their mother. She exploded from the grass and leapt onto his back. The weight and strength of the big cat knocked him over. The young males quickly joined the fray but the zebra wasn’t quite done. He fought on, kicking and biting at his captors. His strength began to ebb away though and after about an hour he succumbed.