Five lions ambush a kudu bull at Gwango

Apr 22, 2014

We had settled in for what we thought would be a quiet Easter holiday with the construction crew and most of the Gwango staff gone for some much needed time at home with family and friends. Excited about the break, we stopped into Hwange town to pick up some fresh produce, local beverages and braai meat for our days off.

Saturday night was quiet when we climed into bed, there were no elephants moving about -- only the familiar lullaby of frogs croaking at the nearby pan. Then suddenly, just before midnight, we heard a tussle in the trees near our chalet. 

This sort of wild commotion is not unusual at Gwango, the big cats and other predators are here often. But this time - the tangle in the forest was followed by a loud agonizing scream.. a kudu was caught in an ambush.

We had been admiring the beautiful kudu bull for several weeks before this night.  He'd put on quite a display, leaping gracefully about, while grazing from place to place -- but as fate would have it, five lions were now devouring his remains right near our first villa. 

The lions savored their feast for more than two days, often taking long breaks to digest and roll around playfully in the grass.  By the third day, the vultures had moved in, along with hyenas and a host of other scavengers -- but it was not the last we saw of the lions. We hear them quite often in the same area, and that is why this nearby villa is now named "Lion Lair".