I had just left for Nairobi on the 28th of October when I received a call from the rangers at Buffalo Springs Reserve that a lion had died about 40 metres away from the Chokaa Gate, early that morning.
When I heard this, my mind thought of it having died as a result of conflict with humans. Yes it was conflict…however not with humans. This lion had been killed in a fight with another male lion. Apparently, he had fought with a male and bloody injuries covered his entire body. It seems that this maneless male had died after he broke his neck.
I received photos of the dead lion and am trying to identify who he was. Unfortunately, as you can see in the photos below, his whisker spots were covered in blood and also cut up quite a bit. His ears also have many cuts however these could have been caused recently. I’ll keep you posted on who the lion could be.
Dead lion in Buffalo Springs
Lion that died during a fight with another male lion
The rangers have called me daily saying they are hearing the lions all night, every night since the day of the fight. It seems the male who fought with this one is still around.
Thanks to Chris Leadismo from Save the Elephants for the photos