Buffalo saves its friend from lion’s claws with powerful headbutts

A video capturing the heroic act of a buffalo saving its friend from a lion has gone viral on YouTube.

There are numerous videos online that capture wild animals in their natural habitat. There are also those videos that capture the intense moments of animals hunting their prey. Among the vast array of such videos, one, in particular, captured the attention of many. The video shows a lion attacking a buffalo. What's even more fascinating about this video is how it also captures the heroic act of a buffalo saving its friend from the clutches of the lion.

The image captures a dramatic moment in Masai Mara as a lion attacks a buffalo.(YouTube/@Maasai Sightings)

“Buffalo headbutts fellow buffalo to save it from a male lion,” reads the caption written alongside the video shared on the YouTube channel Maasai Sightings. The description of the video explains the behaviour of buffalo herds when a predator attacks them. “Buffalo herds will move together as one unit, but when a predator attacks them, they separate into smaller groups to confuse the predator and make it harder for him to target his prey. Buffalo use the size of their herd to attack and kill lions. Buffalo isn’t the largest prey that lions are known to pursue, but that doesn’t make them any less deadly. Filmed in Masai Mara via Okavango camps,” it reads.

The video opens to show a nomadic male lion running towards a buffalo alone to hunt it down. As the video progresses, the lion pounces on the buffalo, and the struggle begins. The buffalo puts up a good fight, but the lion refuses to let go. Suddenly, out of nowhere, two other buffaloes come to the rescue of their fellow buffalo. One of the buffaloes then headbutts the fellow buffalo so that it can stand and run away from the clutches of the lion. Towards the end, the buffalo finally rises and runs away to safety.

Watch how buffalo saved another buffalo from the clutches of a lion:

The video was shared six days ago on YouTube. It has since accumulated over 2.5 lakh views, and the numbers are still increasing. Many even took to the comments section of the video to express their thoughts.

Here’s how people reacted to the video:

“The buffalo gave the other buffalo tough love with those headbutts: ‘Get up, you’re embarrassing us it’s only one lion, not a pride’,” posted a YouTube user. Another added, “I won’t lie, but that young single male lion taking down that much larger Cape buffalo and then still launching another attack when the herd came to assist is pretty damn impressive!” “Buffaloes demonstrate remarkable solidarity and bravery in the face of danger. In a stunning display of defence, a buffalo may headbutt a fellow buffalo to rescue it from the clutches of a male lion,” commented a third. A fourth shared, “Actually, that bull encouraged the suffering buffalo to get up and fight for its survival, it’s a single nomadic lion, and 2 buffaloes can easily chase it away!” “That lion was almost in trouble,” remarked a fifth.