The fatal encounter took place in Sabi Sands Game Reserve close to Kruger National Park and was caught on camera by 22-year-old tourist Jared Wolf, who was staying with family at the private Lion Sands Game Reserve in the Mpumalanga province.
“Our day started off with excitement and pure joy but ended with heartache and plenty of tears,” Wolf told LatestSightings.com, which published the footage on March 9. It has since attracted more than 1.9 million views on YouTube.
In the recording, some of the tourists appeared alarmed that the male lion attacked the wild dog pups, which had been briefly left alone as their parents scoured for food. Wolf said he was “desperate” to see wild dogs, which are his “favorite animal.”
The video shows a male lion storming into the center of the pack, which contained more than a dozen dogs loosely huddled in a group. Most of the dogs appeared to flee from the immediate area, and the lion was later seen feeding on at least one carcass. Two more lions soon joined, and they were filmed tugging on the pup’s remains.
Warning: Graphic footage.
Wolf said the tourists on the excursion ultimately saw two different lion sightings and 24 wild dogs interacting within 100 meters (328 foot) of each other.
Recounting the encounter, he told LatestSightings.com: “Shortly after our first morning drive had started, our ranger said that another vehicle had found a pack of wild dogs with 16 pups, so, we immediately set off to join the other vehicle.
“We spent a bit of time watching the wild dog pack interacting. The mother came every so often and regurgitated [so] they could eat and stay strong. But, as the mother left the pups for a few minutes, probably in search of new food, all hell broke loose.
“Out of nowhere, an aggressive male lion barged into the scene and unfortunately got… two wild dog pups. The aggressive lion was then joined by three other male lions.”
The Lion Sands Game Reserve says on its website it is the only private sanctuary that covers areas of both Sabi Sands Game Reserve and Kruger National Park.
A brochure says it is home to a variety of animals, including lions, leopards, rhinoceros, elephants, Cape buffalos, Nile crocodiles and spotted hyenas. Rarer species on show include pangolins, African wild dogs, African wild cats and the black rhinos.
Wolf said the lion that stormed the cubs later had an encounter with a young male lion who entered in an area with multiple females and was feeding on the carcass of an impala the dog pups’ parents had preyed on before the sudden attack.
“The same lion that had caught the pups seemed to be on somewhat of an aggressive killing spree, as after spotting the young male lion from the other pride, he set off after that young male. Fortunately, the young male lion got away and the sighting ended with the lion along with his brothers vocalizing out on an open plain,” Wolf added.
The tourist said that he felt the attacking lions had been “almost arrogantly announcing themselves” as the “kings of this new territory” they had taken over in minutes.
