As extreme drought overtakes Katavi, predators struggle to find food. Lions rarely hunt hippos, but hungry lions can do crazy things.
Features
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A severe drought in Katavi National Park tests the wildlife to their limits.
TRANSCRIPT
- [Narrator] Hippos outweigh lions ten to one and are rarely targeted as prey.
But everyone is fractious.
And hungry lions can do crazy things.
The mother makes her choice.
Better the melee than the mouth of a predator.
She's chosen her spot wisely.
An old grandfather hippo has no objections to their company.
And his presence is enough to dissuade the lions from attacking.
They need to look for other opportunities.
(hippos grunting) A mother with twins, almost unheard of in hippos.
If they stay close to her, she'll be able to protect them.
(hippo growling) But it's hard not to panic when you're being stalked by a lion.
Their mother is powerless.
If she helps her stricken calf, she'll leave the other one exposed.
They can only leave him to his fate.
A small hippo can't feed the entire pride.