Pack Of Lionesses Attack King Of The Pride In Front Of Shocked Tourists

On a visit to the West Midlands Safari Park in Worcestershire, UK, a group of tourists experienced something far from the peaceful wildlife outing they were anticipating.

Instead of a serene day filled with admiration for the animals, they witnessed a dramatic event that seemed more out of a scene from a tense wildlife documentary than a leisurely park tour.

The day took an unexpected turn when several lionesses suddenly turned on a male lion within their pride.

This moment, captured by amateur photographer Mya Beverstock in 2018, offered the tourists a firsthand look at the rawness of nature, right from their vantage point atop a safari vehicle as they navigated through the park.

Mya, who had come to the safari park hoping to snap some photos of lions with her parents, recounted the moment that shifted the day's tone.

"I decided to go to the safari park with my mum and dad to take some pictures of the lions."

"We had been sat there for a few minutes when we noticed these two male lions sitting on top a rock growling at something down below."

"We drove around a little bit and I noticed these female lionesses surrounding a male. All of a sudden they just pounced."

There were reportedly up to nine lionesses. Credit: SWNS

The footage Mya captured showed a startling scene as up to nine female lions attacked a male, biting and pinning him to the ground in a manner that seemed ruthlessly coordinated.

"They were biting at his back legs and his neck and pinning him to the ground, it looked really vicious and you can see in his eyes he thought he was going to die," Mya added, capturing the intensity of the moment.

The attack was so unexpected that the park's keepers had to quickly step in to defuse the situation. 

Mya described how safari vehicles swiftly arrived at the scene, with one using its horn and another deploying a fire extinguisher to distract the lionesses.

"Within a flash, safari jeeps were there surrounding the lionesses. There were three vehicles, one was honking its horn while another sprayed an extinguisher," she recalled.

Ouch. Credit: SWNS

Speculating on the reasons behind the attack, Mya suggested various possibilities.

"It could be that they thought he was too old to be their leader or it could have been over food," she said.

"He could have tried it on with one of the females, who knows, but they looked angry and pounced as if they are going in for the kill."

The aftermath left the male lion visibly injured, with "bite marks and cuts on his back legs" and looking "pretty messed up." 

The intensity of the encounter was palpable, as Mya noted:

"You could see car windows going up and almost hear doors locking as it happened, it was just really intense to watch and listen to the roars."

"[...] It's something you'd be lucky to see in Kenya, yet alone a British safari park."