Giraffe carcass

There is a road that goes to the national park and it's really bushy on each side of the road, especially now after the first rains. It is unfortunately not super unusual for someone to hit and kill an animal while driving. This past week we noticed some activity of one of our collared lions indicative of it feeding on a carcass and went to check it out.When we came to the location we noticed a dead giraffe showing no wounds, so likely an auto accident. Even before we could set up our VHF antennae to locate the lion BOOM, we saw it peeking out of the bushes next to the car.

We backed away from the carcass and waited and after about a half hour the lion came out with another male and began feasting.

While we were happy, we were even more excited to return at night when the lions would be real active. Around 9pm we headed out to the road and set up about 20 ft back from the carcass. It was one day since the full moon and it illuminated the area well. It gave a feeling of being able to almost see but not quite able to make out the details. Certainly gave a vulnerable feeling after the two lions began to roar on both sides of our car. I then saw a lion come on the road about 50 ft behind us. My window was down as I slowly watched the lion walk past me, not five feet from the car. Even though the level of actual danger to myself was minimal, when a lion walks next to you in the moonlight it is incredibly tense. After he walked by his friend came out from the other side and they began to feast on the giraffe. We could hear them pulling the giraffe's neck and heard it thumping on the ground as they lifted it up in the air and released it as they tore off pieces of flesh. Hyenas gathered within 50 ft, not yet willing to risk annoying the lions who were obviously protective of their meal.

The next morning we passed again and the vultures had come. Dozens of White-backed along with a few Ruppels and Hooded vultures took turns pecking away at the carcass.

I only passed one more time the following day on my way into the park and saw the giraffe head 10 ft from the body and the rest decaying fast. According to our collaring data the lions had finally moved on which means the hyenas and jackals would decimate the carcass that night.