The Lion's feast on Giraffe... again!

Early this week the two Sub-Adult Lion (Panthera leo) killed a B class (sub-adult) Giraffe (Giraffe camelopardalis). In the last 6 months there have been 3 recorded sightings of the sub-adults preying on Giraffe and I'm sure more we didn't see. Also the pride male has been seen with 1 Giraffe kill and our sub-adult female has been seen in action unsuccessfully trying to take down an adult Giraffe. The meat of this enormous animal seems to be a favourite of our young Lions and they seem to be pretty successful at hunting them.
The pride male, as he often does, came to join the sub-adults for their giraffe feast this week and we spent an interesting hour watching the events. First the two young males were feeding, then the pride male came and fought them off, but he didn't eat himself, instead he let the sub-adult female feed. We believed this behaviour is the pride male reinforcing his authority as the young males are a threat but the female is not. Feeding within Lion prides is often an aggressive affair, but bonds are reaffirmed afterwards with mutual grooming and rubbing.
As part of our conservation research here as GVI Karongwe we take note of all observed behaviours on the focus animals. As well as helping in managing the reserve, it also allows us time to watch and discover more about our amazing wildlife and the lives they lead.
Emma Sterling (Research Assistant)

The Lion's feast on Giraffe... again!