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Lions Take Down Kudu Between Cars On Road In Kruger National Park [Photos]

By Anne Sewell
Published on: 04:53 PST, Jul 13, 2015

Carrie Dunford had an amazing and shocking experience while driving through Kruger National Park in South Africa. As she and people in the surrounding vehicles spotted two young male lions, they attacked and killed a kudu antelope for their dinner, right between the cars.

Can you imagine experiencing Africa in its absolute raw, right next to your car on a normal tarmac road? Dunford certainly did.

Dunford told the Afrikaans news outlet, Network 24, that she thought such things only happened in documentaries, but she had the opportunity Friday to take a series of amazing close up photographs of the whole experience.

Tweet translation: Photos of lion catching kudu between cars in Kruger.

Dunford is a student from the U.K. who is engaging in temporary wildlife research in Kruger National Park, hence she was touring around visiting the wildlife in the area.

The incident happened around 15 km from the Orpen Gate on the H1 road to Satara, in the heart of the well-known Kruger National Park.

According to Dunford, she stopped the car along the way to watch the two male lions, who were walking along the road.

“They all stopped few meters away to mark the area.

It was then that one of them spotted a kudu in the bush along the way.”

She said the two male lions immediately started stalking the deer and, when the kudu antelope spotted them, it attempted to flee. However, the kudu’s hooves slipped on the tarmac and it had problems getting away.

As the kudu struggled to get a foothold and flee from the scene, one of the lions behind it pounced.

Dunford told Africa Geographic that the other lion grabbed its throat, and then there was no escape.

“The kudu died quickly and there was little struggle once both lions had it.”

Dunford said that the kill was so quick and unexpected, which makes it even more surprising, as the lions hadn’t visibly been hunting at the time.

“An opportunistic hunt like this is a once in a lifetime sighting and those of us lucky enough to have been there were all thrilled.”

The full range of photos taken by Carrie Dunford in Kruger National Park can be viewed in their full glory on her Facebook page.

Speaking of Kruger National Park, the Inquisitr recently reported another incident where a safari guide had his arm mauled by a leopard. The vehicle convoy had slowed down to view a leopard on the road and the safari guide lost sight of it. Next moment, he put his arm out of the car window and was attacked.

Regrettably, in that incident, the leopard was already injured from a fight with another leopard and after it attacked, it was first hit by the safari guide’s vehicle, and then another vehicle in the convoy drove over it.

This story goes to highlight the general rule which tells people to keep their arms and hands inside the vehicle when on a safari in Kruger National Park, or any other nature reserve. You never know what might happen next.

[Image: CC BY-NC 2.0 Martijn Barendse]

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