Lions vs. Hippo
Two male lions attack a young hippopotamus in recently released pictures—an encounter experts call "unusual."
'Unusual' Pictures: Lions vs. Hippo
Newly released pictures show lions attacking and killing a young hippo in South Africa—a rarity, experts say.
In 2006 photographer Andrew Schoeman was awoken in South Africa's Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve by distress calls that he soon found out had come from the hippo, which was cornered in shallow water by the big cats.
"Every time the hippo wanted to get away, the lions would go for him, and he would then retreat back into the water," said Schoeman, according to the photo agency Zuma Press. After several hours the lions eventually overcame the hippo, drowning it.
"Lions can kill anything—there are famous areas in Africa where the prides are large and get used to taking down elephants. [But] it still is pretty rare" for the cats to take on hippos, said Luke Hunter, president
