A herd of 15 lions uses sharp claws and teeth to attack prey in the Maasai Mara reserve. The weak buffalo can only struggle in pain. Before that, the lions discovered potential prey while resting in the shade a few meters away from the buffalo grazing. First, two male lions came to probe from afar. Then they suddenly gallop towards their prey, followed by the lionesses. The buffalo tried to run away but was quickly surrounded. In the end, it lost its balance and had to die before a herd of hungry lions.

According to Jacklin, the lions cooperate closely like a fighting machine to take the life of wild buffalo weighing more than 900 kg, even though each weighs less than a quarter of their prey. The lions expend very little effort by focusing on biting the buffalo’s hip. After killing the prey, the lions split up to tear it apart and eat it for 24 hours.

Lions always hunt smaller animals like wildebeest because they are easier to hunt, but if the herd is large enough, they can catch larger prey like buffalo. However, the success rate is very low because buffaloes are usually heavier and stronger than lions.

Photographer Jacklin tracks the hunt from a distance of 30 meters. “Due to the size of the herd and the number of healthy males, it only took about 5 minutes for the lions to successfully hunt. The buffalo did their best to avoid the numerous attacks from the various members of the herd. The whole herd of lions had to simultaneously climb onto the buffalo’s back to hold it down while a lioness suffocated it,” Jacklin said.