Fighting for the pride

A lion pride has a complex social structure. When males fight for the dominance of a pride it can be a very traumatic experience with the new dominant male killing cubs and often younger members of the pride or even females who refuse to mate with him.

When in Madikwe I came across a pride of lions lounging in the bush and off to the left we could see a young male and a little further on an older male was mounting a female.

The old male turned and we could see he had a very deep wound to his face and it appeared he had lost his eye.

We then looked to the younger male and could see that he too had wounds on his face. It appeared that they had been fighting with each other

The next morning we returned to the area and found the pride again. The young male was no longer with the pride and we could more clearly see the wounds on the old male’s face. They were clearly very painful as he was salivating and kept rubbing his face. He had not lost his eye but it was a very close call.

The cubs were still playing, seemingly oblivious to the previous days events and quite possibly the fate that would have been theirs had the old male lost. Females lay scattered except for one large lioness who seemed to have won the affection of the male. A young cub walked up to her and with a snarl she sent him off. It was time for more serious things than play time.

We watched the pride for a long time and it was one of those rare privileges that the wild offers us from time to time. My head turned one last time as the pride disappeared within the bush and we bumped back onto the road. I could not help but wonder how many more fights this old male would win or if he would even recover from his wounds.

Lion fight! - Pride - BBC animal drama

Man Attempts To Hug a Wild Lion. What Happens Next Stunned Me

Kevin Richardson is a South African zookeeper renowned for being so intimate with lions that he has been accepted into several prides. Kevin understands these lions at a fundamental level: their behavior, instinct, emotion.Kevin has slept, fed, and lived next to lions, having worked with many of them since they were cubs.

He trusts lions enough to stick his arm in their mouth!

Kevin leverages his ability to help prevent these lions from being poached. As you can see from video below, these cats have a much gentler side as well.

Kevin truly sees the lions as equals. Watch the incredible video below for more!

Lions - The New Endangered Species?

Giraffe mother uses its long limbs to fend off entire pride of lions and save its young calf

Any mother would stick their neck out to defend a child.But this giraffe goes beyond the call of duty for her calf, taking on an entire pride of lions - and winning.The tall creature, filmed at the Olare Conservancy in the Masai Mara reserve, Kenya, was caught on camera as the ravenous predators saunter towards it.

The patient hunter: The lions then try to approach from behind, but are repelled

Turnaround: The dramatic confrontation, in a Kenyan safari park, continued for around half an hour

But the giraffe, which has its offspring sheltering between its legs, seemed in no mood for letting the lions win their meal.When the beasts, moving as one, start to bolt towards her, she fends them all off by aggressively waving her long legs towards them.A tense stalemate follows, after which the lions remember that discretion is the better part of valour and move on.The encounter was captured by tourists Bill and Barbara Westbrook on a visit to the Kicheche Bush Camp.

The couple, from Queensland, Australia, often visit the park but say this is the most incredible encounter they have seen.Mrs Westbrook said: 'This was remarkable, going on for almost half an hour as the mother protected her calf ferociously from the young pride.'It was heart-in-the-mouth stuff as we felt we might be witnessing something brutal as the casual menace of the sub-adult lions showed little signs of abating.'Eventually the giraffes got away and we breathed again.'

Kicheche Co-owner and photographer guide Paul Goldstein said: 'Somehow Barbara managed to keep the camera still during all this drama.'I am supremely jealous of this encounter but also very happy for them, next time they come over I will stick to them like glue.'

Lions Killing Hyenas

This video of lions killing hyenas shows that the relationship between hyenas and lions in areas where they coexist is unique in its complexity and intensity.Lions and hyenas are both apex predators which feed on the same prey, and are therefore in direct competition with one other. As such, they will often fight over and steal each others' kills.Though it is popularly assumed that hyenas are opportunistic scavengers whichprofit from the lion's hunting abilities, it is quite often the case that the reversal is true.

Two males Lions kills Hyena

The feud between the two species does however seem to encompass more than just battles over food.In the animal kingdom, the territorial boundaries of another species are usually disregarded. Hyenas and lions are an exception to this seeing as they set boundaries against each other as they would against members of their same species.

Male lions are extremely aggressive toward hyenas, and as you have seen in this lions and hyenas video, hunt and kill hyenas without eating them.Conversely, hyenas are major predators of lion cubs. When attacking adults, hyenas go after groups of females or better yet, a single female. However healthy adult males, even single ones, are generally avoided at all costs.

Baby elephant fights off attack by 14 lions at watering hole

The odds are massively against the flappy-eared fighter in this sunset showdown as he is covered by the ravenous predators

The junior jumbo takes to water to face off against his 14 predators

A pride of 14 hungry lions surround a baby elephant as they prepare for a fight that is far from fair.The battle - captured on film by tourists in the South Luangwa National Park, Zambia - shows the one-year-old beast surrounded by the pack of predators near a watering hole.

As the lions viciously set about the youngster - who was separated from its herd - they begin taking it in turns to leap on its back and sink their teeth into its backside and legs.Things look grim for the junior jumbo as the lions move in for the kill with three then four clinging to his torso as he looks for an escape route.But, with the walls closing and time running out, the elephant heads for the water in a desperate bid to shrug off the lions.And after a lengthy battle, the youngster defies all the odds to emerge unscathed.

The group of tourists had been travelling from Norman Carr Safaris Chinzombo Camp when they stumbled across the sunset showdown.Safari guide, Innocent, who works for Norman Carr Safaris and was driving the Jeep, said: "In many years I have been a safari guide in Zambia at the South Luangwa, never have I seen anything like this.

"We were all so worried the elephant would be killed right before us. What a fighter. It fought off all 14 lions - incredible."

The tourists who witnessed the incredible scrap - Jesse Nash, Dan Christoffel, Steve Baker and Nina Krakowski - have since named the elephant 'Hercules'.

The fight is almost as an epic as a natural showdown we reported on last month, when two black bears slugged it out in the street in an amazing viral video.

Young elephant survives attack by 14 Lions

The awesome moment two Lions attack & kill an Antelope

The moment two lions pursued an antelope from the bushes into a road at a game reserve in South Africa was captured on camera by British tourist, Carolyn Dunford. And amazingly, the tourists who were passing through in a convoy when the incident happened wound down their car windows to watch the spectacle.

This is surprising to say the least because just recently, a tourist was attacked and killed when a lion jumped into her car from her open car window at a Games Reserve. Guess these ones didn’t hear that story. Anyway, the lions did kill the Antelope. See the dramatic photos after the cut…

Miss Dunford, a biology graduate from Romsey, Hampshire, was taking an early morning drive through the park - one of the largest game reserves in Africa - when she came across the rare scene and pulled out her camera.The amateur photographer told MailOnline: 'I think I had been driving for about 45 minutes and at about 7.45am, I saw a group of cars crawling along.'I pulled up with them and there were the two lions walking towards me.

'One of them saw the kudu in the bushes and I saw the lion crouch.'She described seeing the terrified kudu bolt towards the cars, losing its balance in the panic and falling.

Lion v Warthog: The stunning moment when a warthog steps into the path of a hungry lion

This is the moment a warthog stepped into the path of a hungry lion and then became its prey.The incredible pictures show the warthog step into the lion's den, but it was only ever going to end one way, as the predator then leaps out with brute force to capture the animal. The lion then goes on to devour the wild pig, proving his status as top of the animal food chain.

The unsuspecting warthog steps into the path of an oncoming lion at the Addo Elephant Park in South Africa

The lion leaps out on to the warthog with brute force and pounces on its prey

The warthog tries to make a break for freedom but the lion is hot on its heels trying to recapture it

'The poor unsuspecting warthog did not spot the lions at all and she disappeared behind a bush where a lion was lying, and it was taken by surprise.Dr Jonker revealed the warthog first had a lucky escape after it accidentally woke a sleeping lioness and startled her so she didn't attack.But she couldn't believe her eyes when the same warthog went back into the lion's den.She added: After the warthog escaped, I thought the action was over. But the warthog went back in a circle and went back on the same path as before, straight back into the lions.

The lion asserts his authority as top of the food chain as he takes a bite of the warthog who was unable to escape

The lion digs his teeth into the warthog he has just killed as he is joined by a lioness

'By this time, a male lion had woken up and was sat up straight trying to see what the commotion was.'He saw the warthog coming and went straight into the attack position. This was when I had my camera poised as I knew this time something was going to happen.'At one stage there was only this big dust cloud and I could not see what was happening.

Warthog vs Lion King Fight