Lions Hunt a Lost Baby Elephant But Determined Young Calf Will Not Give Up

In this heart-stopping clip, a little elephant become separated from its mother. To make matters even worse, it has attracted the attention of a pride of the lions. The big cats can’t seem to believe their luck and make an attempt follow the elephant calf. At one point, it looks as if they may get the upper hand but the little calf holds its ground. With immense bravery, it faces down the elephants. Eventually, it makes it back across the road and re-joins its mother. As the clip at the bottom of this page shows, life can be very hazardous for elephant calves who get separated from their herd!

What Do Lions Normally Eat?

Lions are carnivores and need to hunt other animals to stay alive. They are both generalist hunters and opportunists. This is an opportunity too good to miss! When lions hunt as a pride, they are capable of taking down animals that are a lot bigger than they are. This includes African buffalo, blue wildebeest, and zebra. A fit, adult elephant, on the other hand, would be too much for them to cope with it. The same cannot be said for elephant calves. Several lions would be able to overpower a juvenile elephant, but it is very unusual for them to get the chance. Female elephants are very maternal and usually take great care of their calves.

In between larger kills, lions eat birds, small mammals and even insects. Lions are also scavengers which means that they eat carcasses of animals caught by other predators. They don’t wait for the other animals to finish! Lions will move in and take kills from cheetahs, spotted hyenas, African wild dogs, and even from other lions.

How Do Elephants Normally Raise Their Young?

Female elephants live in groups called herds. Mating takes place throughout the year and female elephants are pregnant for 22 months. They usually give birth to one offspring – twins are very rare. Newborn elephants weigh around 200 pounds and are entirely dependent on their mother and other females in the herd. Females normally give birth every four to six years. Young elephants are weaned between two and three years of age.

The herd work together to raise the calves and are extremely protective of them. The oldest matriarch is in charge and shares her valuable knowledge with the younger females.