This was the moment when three male lions caught a rare brown hyena in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park — just meters away from a birding and wildlife tour guide’s tent!
Marc Cronje conducts birding and wildlife tours for Nature Travel Africa across the world. Even with countless hours in the wild, seeing a rare hyena walking into lions is not something that Marc could have even imagined.
Well, not only did Marc get to see such a sighting playing out, but he managed to film it all! It started during Marc’s unexpected holiday in the Kgalagadi. Marc and his brother were staying at Grootkolk Wilderness Camp, and it was their first time visiting the park.
After a long day on the road to reach the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, it was a restless sleep, with lions calling near camp the whole night. Still, Marc and his brother were up early, and super excited for their first game drive.
However, before they could leave, something started unfolding at the camp’s waterhole, bringing their plans to a complete halt. Amazingly, they had a perfectly clear view of all of it from their accommodation!
Lions Coming to Camp
The lions responsible for the calling during the night had arrived, and they were keen to get a drink. So Marc and his brother decided to brew up another coffee and just enjoy the special moment that brought its way right to them.
The three male lions then decided to take cover in some nearby bushes. It was as if they were laying the foundation for a trap. Maybe they were looking for some breakfast. As the lions secretly scanned around, well-hidden in the bushes, Marc had the feeling that they had to wait to see what would happen.
Then Marc spotted it! For a moment he questioned what he was looking at, “Could it really be a rare brown hyena?” But, as it got closer, it became evident that it definitely was. Marc thought that it would catch on to the lions at any moment. But it didn’t…
Lion Ambush Playing Out
Instead, the hyena just came nearer and nearer to the trap. All the while, the lions were getting ready to pounce. Marc quickly gathered his gear and then started filming.