Did you know… ‘Old’ lions will prey on humans
Here’s why
As a rule, predators love the chase. They’re wired to hunt down; ie, stalk, ambush, sprint, pursue, then combat if need be, capture, and go for the kill. That’s a day in the life of any big cat; lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, name them.
Speedsters in their own right, these big cats often go for some of the fastest sprinters in the business — deer, antelope, zebra; and sometimes for tough customers who will fight to the death! We’re talking bushpig, gnu, buffalo, and wildebeest.
This unspoiled drama of nature is reenacted daily in the savannas and forests.
And the beat goes on.
But here’s the thing. We all grow old. Old predators will lose their speed, reflexes, and strength. Their paws and teeth become brittle and weak even if they remain intact.
And to humans, they turn. The average human will not run as fast as a deer or is not as strong as a buffalo. The average human is not equipped to fight back. Easy prey for the old and tired!
These predators appear to know this instinctively, and in a hunger pang, will take advantage of a chance meeting with a human, or will (nocturnal creatures as they are), invade sleeping settlements to pick up their next meal.
Ed Yong, in an article in National Geographic, refers to two theories proffered by anthropologist, Louis Leakey on this rather macabre phenomenon, both emphasizing physical impairment as a reason for this uncanny drift towards human flesh.
The 1907 book: The Man-Eaters of Tsavo And Other East African Adventures, by British soldier, hunter, and author Lt. Col John Henry Patterson; who, perhaps more than anyone else, had a close-up view of man-eating lions at their worst, gives graphic detail and claims they took 135 lives of workers engaged in the construction of a major railway project.
According to Safaris Africana, between the 9th and 29th December of 1898, Patterson, sent to Kenya to supervise the construction of the railway, shot and killed the two notorious man-eaters in that region and kept them as trophies till he sold them. Several films based on the astute soldier's incredible story have been made.
Any time you find yourself in lion country, remember:
Some oldies may be on the prowl.
