When on safari, spotting remarkable interactions between wildlife isn’t always guaranteed. However, consultant broker Kim Hathway experienced the siting of a lifetime in Etosha National Park, while on a game drive with friends earlier this month.
The day safari had been fruitless in terms of sightings, and the group had been preparing to ‘call it a day’ before the fortuitous sighting of a lioness popping her head up from a nearby hill changed their luck.
Stationed by the Aus watering hole in Etosha National Park, the group first witnessed a pride of lions approaching the waterhole.
With palpable excitement in the air, a black rhino suddenly appeared, seeking respite from the Namibian heat.
Oblivious to the nearby predators, the rhino plonked itself into the watering hole. As the pride of hungry lions began to approach the rhino – who had now appeared to be stuck in the watering hole – a strike of fate changed the endangered animal’s luck.
Just as the pack began to close in on the now-distressed rhino, a passing herd of elephants intervened, charging at the lions and forcing them to retreat.
One elephant, unwilling to abandon the helpless rhino, tried with all its might to help the rhino up from the watering hole. After much struggle, the gentle giant ultimately had to move on with the herd.
Despite the elephants’ efforts, the lions later resumed their pursuit. The lions eventually managed to flip the rhino onto its back, sealing its tragic fate as it drowned.
This dramatic wildlife episode underscored the relentless struggle for survival in the animal kingdom. What a lucky sighting!
Watch the video here:
