Olivier Gonnet's Image

Olivier Gonnet (France) acts quickly to catch the moment a lion defends its cubs from a buffalo.

Olivier rapidly adjusted his camera for the low light to frame the unfolding action. Catching the intensity of the standoff as the angry lash of the buffalo’s tail is met by a fierce baring of teeth by the lion.

While a pride of lions can bring down a buffalo, a lone lion with cubs is vulnerable. Buffaloes, though herbivores, can be very aggressive, and their heavy, ridged horns make formidable weapons, capable of goring and killing an adult lion and certainly its cubs.

As night fell, the buffalo gave up its siege, leaving the mother to lead the cubs back to the pride. Sadly, just two months later the cubs were killed by hyenas.

Adult lions have no predators, but they are at risk from persecution by humans as well as from decreasing prey populations.