In a dramatic twist of fate, a lioness experienced the harsh realities of the wild when her attempt to ambush a sleeping hippopotamus took an unexpected turn. The scene unfolded on the expansive plains, where after a brief search, the lioness stumbled upon the seemingly dormant giant and moved in stealthily, mistaking it for an easy meal.
Misjudged Attack: The lioness, poised to pounce within the Maasai Mara National Reserve, was met with an abrupt and fierce response. The hippopotamus, far from vulnerable, swiftly rose to its feet to confront its attacker.
Wrong: The lioness goes to pounce on the Hippopotamus in the Maasai Mara National Reserve
Attack: The hippo shoots up to chase off the fleeing cat
Grab: In a shock move the hippo engulfs the lioness’ head in its mouth and slings it to the ground
However, the feline came up to the rear of the hippo, perhaps erroneously, and instead of sinking its teeth into its neck the lioness sniffs its behind confused.
At this point the grunting hippo shoots up and runs at the now fleeing lioness.
But the big cat underestimates the herbivore’s speed.
The hippo catches up and traps the lioness’ head in its huge mouth and throws it to the floor leaving a trail of dust in its wake.
The pair run off in separate directions and the clip, uploaded by the Maasai mara Sightings YouTube channel, ends.
Destroy: The lioness is slung to the ground by hippo
Separate Ways: The confrontation ended with both animals retreating in opposite directions. The footage of this encounter, shared on the Maasai Mara Sightings YouTube channel, quickly went viral, drawing nearly 1.5 million views since its release in June.
Viewer Reaction: The clip sparked astonishment among viewers, many of whom were surprised by the lioness’s seemingly slow reaction to the hippo’s charge. Comments ranged from disbelief at the lioness’s casual escape attempt to observations that she might have underestimated the hippo’s speed.