Lions and Hyenas on a Giraffe Kill

It was one of those times we caught the lions at the peak of their post-meal nap time, and it was a serious food coma after feasting on an enormous giraffe carcass, so we got more visual of the sneaky hyenas than the lions themselves, but what an amazing sighting it was! Golden afternoon light spilled through the drying bush and turned this sighting into a moody and magnificent meeting of the predators. There were two lions, young males, whose identity we do not yet know, and they were indulging in a serious snooze, while the snooping hyenas sniffed around the area.

One of two young males on giraffe kill in Klaserie

Hyenas lurking at Klaserie lion kill

Fellow rangers had reported seeing a limping giraffe in the east block of the Klaserie a few days ago, and yesterday afternoon it was confirmed that a giraffe (presumably the injured one) had been taken down by lions. Africa on Foot guests cruised through the bushveld in their game viewer and arrived at the scene of the sleeping male lions. The pair of golden boys had eaten their fill and were lying flat with engorged bellies rising and falling with heavy breaths. We have considered that the two males might be the two young Sumatra males we saw not long ago, but that is not confirmed. For one brief moment, one of the lions rose and we got half a look at him before he flopped down once again. A brief but magnificent sighting of these epic predators under a setting sun!

Hyenas lurking at Klaserie lion kill

Hyenas lurking at Klaserie lion kill

Hyenas lurking at Klaserie lion kill