Two lions maul and play with a baby antelope for 20 minutes before they eventually kill the terrified animal in harrowing footage filmed from less than 100 feet away.
A male lion chases the kudu antelope, batting the creature’s hind with its huge paw, in Addo Elephant Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa
A lion and a lioness gently bat their prey with their paws and lick its body as the helpless creature squeals
The kudu tries to get away but the lion and lioness swiftly trap it again, keeping it firmly in their grasp
The footage then cuts to show the male and female lion leaning over the wriggling creature who makes a sudden bid for freedom.
But the lioness swiftly pounces, trapping the kudu on the ground before licking its back. The clip again cuts to show the creature trying to make another break for it.
The lioness opens its jaw around the kudu’s back, but instead of biting down, the lioness gently licks it.
Instead of biting down, the lioness gently licks the kudu’s back while keeping it trapped so it can’t escape
The male lion then pats its prey’s ear with one paw and strokes the terrified animal’s head.
‘Suddenly I saw some movement and a kudu calf came charging out the bush with the male lion running behind her.
‘I realised there was going to be a kill so, still driving, I grabbed my camera and began to shoot and drove closer to where the lion and kudu were running, hence the wobbly beginning to my video.
The kudu tries to run away again and this time the two predators are ready to tuck in. The lion bites one of the kudu’s hind legs as the lioness turns her attention to its shoulders
‘They pinned the baby kudu down and just kept it in that position, I think they were hoping the desperate mother would hear the distressed calls and come close enough for them to try and catch the mother too.’
With the kudu antelope hanging limply from its jaw, the lion walks with its prey before dumping it on the grass