South Luangwa believing what we were seeing, the young male allowed the larger pride male to stalk right up to him, reacting only when the attacker was almost on top of him. It was all over in about 10 seconds, but the photos show that it was not merely a ritual— the youngster was rolled on his back and the older male picked up some cuts on his face. While we were intently watching (and photographing) the fight, the larger male’s brother was running from the carcass towards the commotion, a path which took him to within a metre of the front of our vehicle. It was an awesome sight to see a mature male lion at full speed running directly towards us. Of course, he wasn’t heading for us at all and passed right by, but it was a heart-stopping moment as 200 kilograms of lion thundered past. Having won the fight, the pride male had re-established his claim and pursued the youngster down the sand with his brother at his side. With the territorial calls of 17 other lions deafening us from behind, we watched as the two dominant males chased the youngster back across the river. The pride males were panting heavily when they returned to the pride...that had gone back to eating! When the river levels are low, as they are in the Luangwa during the dry season, animals cross the river daily to reach new feeding grounds and challenge territorial claims. In this case, I think the youngster was aware that he was no match for the larger lion but was perhaps testing the boundaries and the dominant male’s strength. It’s only through these challenges that the younger males will know when it’s their time to take over and claim breeding rights to the 17 females.
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