Buffalo Mom Gives Birth—Then Defends Calf from Hyena Pack

Wild Sightings

A buffalo mum gave birth and immediately protected her calf from a hyena attack.   David Kool was leading a tour through the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, on April 24 when he witnessed a buffalo mum delivering her offspring.   Dramatic footage captured the moment a pack of hyenas immediately descended on the calf hoping for an easy meal.   The brave mum charged at the hyenas to fend them off before the rest of the herd appeared to chase the opportunistic predators away.   David, from Jungle Mara Safaris, said: “I haven't seen this before. Witnessing a mother giving birth and suddenly hyenas came to kill the calf wasn't a good impression but that is nature.   “About 13 hyenas and they did the attack within 10 minutes. About eight buffaloes from the herd came to rescue the newly born calf. I was happy they managed to protect the calf.”

Transcript

00:00Wildlife guide David Kuhl, leading a tour through the Maasai Mara, witnessed a moment as rare as it was raw.

00:19A buffalo mum had just brought new life into the world, her fragile calf taking its very first breaths.

00:30But peace in the wild can be fleeting.

00:45From the shadows, danger emerged.

00:48A pack of hyenas, opportunistic and hungry, descended on the newborn, hoping for an easy kill.

00:54The herd is coming to help.

01:08But the mother buffalo didn't hesitate.

01:10With fierce determination, she charged at the predators, her instinct to protect stronger than fear.

01:15And then, back up arrived.

01:30The herd rallied, a wall of strength pushing the hyenas back, driving them away in a storm of dust and defiance.

01:36The herd's not too hard to fight.

01:46The herd's not too hard to fight.

01:51The calf survived thanks to her mother's courage and the unity of the herd.

02:21In the wild every moment is a battle but on this day life triumphed.

02:51In the wild every moment is a battle but on this day life triumphed.

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