Pride of lions attack and kill adult giraffe
A pride of lions managed to bring down an unusual source of prey in Kenya's Masai Mara - a large adult giraffe.
British wildlife photographer and safari guide Paul Goldstein says he was kept awake most of the night from the noise of the lions killing then fighting over the prey. Paul, from Wimbledon, told Rex Features: "This was an adult bull giraffe, it must have been sick or wounded otherwise this particular pride, which I have spent many months with, would never have taken him down.
"However it proved a huge larder for many days and, as it was quite cool, the meat did not go off too quickly.
"Watching the hierarchy on the dinner table was fascinating although with such a large feast the elders were not as robust as they normally are with the cubs."
Giraffes are not easy prey for lions because of their height which makes them difficult to bring down.
Lions kill by grasping the throat of their prey and suffocating it, and they cannot easily reach the throat of a giraffe whilst it is standing up. However, by working together lions can hunt and kill adult giraffes.
They will chase them onto rocky ground, where they cannot keep their balance easily, hoping to trip them up.
At other times they simply surround the giraffe and repeatedly attack it as a group until it falls, when they can seize its throat.
Giraffes also have a very powerful kick that can kill a lion so they generally prefer to hunt easier prey such as antelope and zebra.
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