Relentless Enemies Page #4

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because of some genetic trait

that the cubs will inherit.

The constant wading may also be a key

to developing these huge chests

and upper legs,

an exercise the cubs will get used to,

even though now the soft mud

and the small creatures

that scurry away underfoot unsettle them.

The sheer volume of buffalo meat

these specialist cubs will eat

may be a further factor in making them

into these enormous Okavango swamp cats.

Somewhere along the way,

the injured cub fell behind and disappeared,

a bitter reminder to any cub that lags.

The old loner is also along today,

hanging back and weary of the unruly cubs

splashing noisily among them.

This hunt has all the signs

of being chaotic and dangerous.

Their plan is working.

The buffalo are exactly

where the lions want them.

The setup is perfect.

Now the hunt turns to the straggling bulls,

old, fiercely independent fighters,

aggressive and tough.

This will be a battle of giants.

This is the object of every hunt,

continually add pressure

and cause something to unravel.

Mistakes are then inevitable.

A single cow stands out among the bulls,

an easier target.

But as she turns back,

it is into the path of a waiting lioness.

The lion conquers her hesitation.

She has unlocked the puzzle

and found the weak spot

in the buffalo's defense.

The activity is like a magnet.

Even the lone lioness hazards the depths

to get to the flaying cow.

But these may be waters

too much even for a Tsaro female.

The crystal clear waters allow

frightening glimpses of what lurks below.

And when the buffalo starts to sink,

the lioness makes the decision to swim for it.

Making for the river bank

before the crocodiles

she knows are down there can surface,

she leaves the buffalo cow

to her own devices,

a more vulnerable bait.

The herd has outmaneuvered

the lions again today,

perhaps because it was the cubs' first hunt.

Females were scattered, and the chaos

didn't quite work in their favor.

Instantly, the buffalo settle,

quick to let go of the stress of the attack.

Their way of dealing with the lions'

relentless predation

is to put it all behind them.

It takes the lions some time to notice

that none of the cubs is with them.

Hours later, they find one dead in the grass.

The distance from water

absolves the crocodiles.

This may be something more insidious.

For Silver Eye, the distress is too much,

and she slowly and deliberately

eats the remains of the cub.

Whether lions can mourn or not,

there is an air of desperation

around the pride now.

At least one of these females knows

exactly what has happened to the cubs.

One female was always behind.

Others are more determined

to defend their young.

In the case of the Blacksmith plovers,

it is at risk of death,

against overwhelming odds.

It is the time of the angry bulls.

Monsters filled with aggression

and exploding with testosterone

find any reason to knock down an opponent.

And while these beasts engage in combat,

the plovers stand their ground

in amongst the thrashing hooves.

There is nothing delicate about this.

These are battles of brute force

that male buffalo are built for.

Their heavy necks are able to withstand

tons of head-to-head impact.

Without these gnarled and impossibly heavy

horny bosses for protection,

the repeated shocks would most likely

shatter their skulls.

With the upturned hooks on their horns,

the Cape buffalo

slash savagely at each other.

These blood-soaked rapiers

are an indication of just how easily

a thin-skinned lioness could succumb,

let alone a plover

weighing less than a pound.

And underfoot, those plovers

have made their point,

just in time for their own additions

to Duba plains.

Despite the heavy predation by lions,

the buffalo here have broken through

the threshold where the lions

can destroy the herd.

They have started to breed

faster than the lions can kill them,

and the herd swells each year,

staying together

instead of fragmenting, as you would expect.

Now sleeping within five or six paces

of the accepting herd,

the lions have moved this

to a new level of intimacy,

perhaps an indication of where

this unusual relationship may go.

The two old males of Duba

have seen many a battle together

and stolen many a kill from their lionesses.

But at nearly 1 3 years old,

their time is coming to an end.

When they are overthrown,

life will be even more unstable for the pride.

And in this bizarre display of familiarity,

the Tsaro females have

so imbedded themselves with the buffalo

that they have become almost

an extension of the herd.

As the herd gets closer

to the Tsaro territory boundaries,

the lions are even more attentive,

not letting their buffalo out of their sight.

When the herd moves closer to the water

and possible escape,

the lions look ahead

and comb their memories

for strategies and plans

of action they can use,

and then decide on one.

The buffalo find their direction.

They plan to cross the river.

This calls for a different tactic altogether.

Hunting here is not only a physical effort,

it is a mind game.

Now the lionesses maneuver themselves

carefully into key positions,

poaching just a little into

the Skimmer pride territory.

The ambush is a bold tactic

to frighten the buffalo

back to where they came from.

With the buffalo back in Tsaro territory,

the lions can now hunt them

on their own terms.

At first, the front line of cats

moves in shoulder to shoulder.

They still need the buffalo

a little further away from the water

and possible escape,

so they shift them

with short, stabbing attacks.

But each individual lioness who attacks

is vulnerable to the bad-tempered old bulls.

As the forays continue,

the herd senses a lack of conviction

and slowly the power shifts again.

And then, quite suddenly,

it seems as though the lions

have lost their advantage.

Their attacks become

uncoordinated and sloppy

as they get lost in the choking dust.

But then, the break happens.

The herd skirts the palm islands

and a Tsaro lioness sees

her target through the dust.

These are running attacks.

Deep chests filled with air, heavy upper legs

give them the stamina they need to keep up

and to launch themselves into battle.

For the lions now, it is a race to survive,

one day at a time,

a struggle they are determined to win.

Six months after the rain in the highlands,

the flood waters arrive in the Okavango.

The surface area of the island

is suddenly reduced,

and the lions and buffalo are forced together

even more intensely.

Today the lions are using the water

to work the buffalo into a frenzy.

Once in the water, the cats target the calves.

The drag effect slows the weaker,

young animals down.

Lions are expert

in recognizing that weakness.

The confidence of these buffalo

has now reached a level

where any attack is challenged.

In other places, buffalo usually flee in panic

to the furthermost parts of their range.

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