Action-packed pictures taken by a British wildlife photographer show the moment a group of Africa buffalos were ambushed by a young male lion and a pack of lioness.
One image shows the male lion attacking a buffalo and narrowly avoiding death as the valiant buffalo’s horn brushes inches from the lion’s heart.
Other spectacular pictures from this clash of the titans, show the herd of African buffalos attempting to shield a fellow buffalo, the male lion jumping onto the rear of its hapless prey, eventually devouring the weakest buffalo that failed to escape.
Here a male lion narrowly avoids being gored in the heart as he attempts to take down a buffalo in a Zambian wildlife park
A group of lions ambushed the buffaloes at a watering hole at the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, pictured
The lions tried to target what they thought was the weakest buffalo in the herd before killing and eating it. The images were captured by British wildlife photographer Luke Massey who said the male lion was lucky to escape uninjured from the attack
These images were captured in South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, by British wildlife photographer, Luke Massey.
He was working on an assignment with safari operators Shenton Safaris and came across a buffalo herd being attacked by a group of lionesses and a young lion.
He said: ‘At first the young male lion was very lucky to come away uninjured, it jumped onto the rear of the buffalo but was quickly surrounded by other buffalo.
‘The young lion jumped onto the rear of the buffalo but was quickly surrounded by other buffalo and one charged and tossed the lion, its horns narrowly missing piercing the lion’s chest.’
The massive buffalo attempted to fight off the rampaging lion by attempting to skewer the predator using its sharp horns
Massey said he spent four months in the bush but claimed this was the only encounter between a lion and a buffalo he saw
Despite the early uncertainty of the encounter, once the lionesses joined the hunt, the massive buffalo was doomed
African buffalos, otherwise known as Cape buffalos, are the largest buffalo species found in South and East Africa.
Shenton Safaris, where the wild animals were spotted, overlooks the Luangwa River and is a family-run business established in 1992.
Massey said: ‘People are often amazed by the sequence, lions hunting buffalo is seen on the TV a lot but actually quite a rare sight to watch in the flesh whilst on safari.
‘I’ve spent over four-months in the African bush working on various projects and this was the only lion verses buffalo hunt I’ve ever witnessed.
‘A lot of my work revolves around conservation stories and urban wildlife, but I love to travel and experience wildlife around the globe.’
He added: ‘I hope most my work sends a message to people, shows them what we should be protecting and how we can make a difference.’
The pride of lions soon devoured the unfortunate buffalo who was unable to escape from the highly coordinated attack