Watch: Army of lions thwarted by one buffalo who plays it smart
An African buffalo was surrounded by no less than a dozen lions—one of its most hated predators—but smartly utilized its only defense to perfection to prevent them from attacking: Water.
Lions hate water and buffaloes know it, so this lone bovine hunkered down in a watering hole as several lions salivated around the shoreline, eyes fixed on the potential meal.
The standoff occurred in the Maasai Mara, a national wildlife reserve in Kenya. Maasai Sightings posted video of the encounter.
“Lions and buffaloes are ancestral enemies, since the buffalo has always been the most sought-after prey by the lions,” Maasai Mara noted. “Buffaloes have come to learn that lions hate the water, and have been using this as an advantage to deter lions hunting them.”
After hours of the standoff, the lions eventually gave up and went to find a different food source.
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Commenters lauded the buffalo’s perseverance and smart utilization of its only defense. Among the comments on the YouTube post:
“The buffalo is in the best defensive spot it could hope for. He’s got water to drink, grass to eat. Time is on his side.”
“If the Buffalo is smart. He can stay there for a week. And the lions are hungry and will have to go elsewhere to find food.”
“Such a shame, the only reason the lions missed what would have been a feast big enough to feed the whole clan is because they don’t like to get wet…even in a shallow pond like this one.”
“They gave up due to their low stamina and weak endurance. A single buffalo defeated an army of lions.”
Fortunately, there wasn’t a crocodile roaming around in the watering hole.