11 Times Predators Let Their Prey Live
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00 As a rule, predators usually kill and eat their prey almost instantly unless they have to drag
00:05 it back to feed their cubs. The animal kingdom has one very simple rule, eat or be eaten.
00:11 In a ruthless and cutthroat environment like that, it's surprising to see some predators
00:16 actually give up a meal and let their prey go. It's definitely an awe-inducing moment.
00:21 So, we've gathered a few wholesome clips of animals either befriending,
00:25 which should be their prey, or saving them from other predators.
00:29 Welcome back to another episode of Forever Green, where today, we're going to look at 11 times
00:35 animals let their prey live. But before we start, we've got a question for you.
00:40 Which of these friendships seem the most unlikely to you? A baboon and a cheetah, or a lion adopting
00:48 six baby antelope? Leave your guesses in the comments and find out the answer during the
00:52 course of this episode. Number 11, Leopard takes care of baby baboon.
00:59 This leopard on the prowl spots a baboon, but what she doesn't see is its baby. She moves quick as
01:06 a cat and pounces on the mother, killing with absolutely no effort. The leopard carries her
01:11 prize away to eat it in peace when a baby baboon crawls out. You can see how shocked the leopard
01:17 is too by this. The baby seems surprised and looks like it's trying to understand what's going on
01:23 as the leopard slowly approaches it. Perhaps it was her motherly instinct that made her sit with
01:28 the child and comfort it. She puts a paw on its head, and they stay like that until after sunset.
01:34 The baboon seems to start trusting the leopard too, despite what just happened,
01:39 and it looks like it's giving her a hug. Aww.
01:44 Number 10, Lion protects baby rhino. A full-grown rhino is anywhere between 1,000
01:53 and 3,000 pounds and perfectly capable of defending itself against predators in the wild.
01:58 The same can't be said for their babies, which are much more vulnerable to attacks,
02:03 since they make for such an easy target. That's what this pack of hyenas probably thought too.
02:08 They are opportunistic feeders, which means if the opportunity presents itself,
02:13 they do not hesitate, and they certainly don't warn.
02:16 Their attack is methodical, they deliver persistent jabs to the baby from all angles,
02:23 and while the mother does her best to defend the child, she doesn't have night vision like
02:27 the hyenas. A few tries later and a hyena gets its teeth around the baby. For a split second,
02:34 it seems like all is lost, until a nearby lion spots them. This lion just happened to be in
02:40 the neighborhood, scavenging some carcass nearby, when he heard the commotion and decided to check
02:45 it out. He interrupts the attack and saves the baby rhino, which was just moments away from death.
02:51 Thanks to him, the baby slips away into the night with its mother,
02:56 and the hyenas will just have to look for another meal.
02:58 Number 9, Lion saves baby impala.
03:07 As kings of the jungle, lions have quite the responsibility.
03:10 This doesn't usually extend to protecting another predator's prey,
03:14 but some lions probably like to adopt the responsibility.
03:18 Here, this newborn impala sits with its mother when, out of nowhere, a leopard approached.
03:24 He gets pretty close and almost snaps his mouth shut around the baby's head.
03:28 The baby can't do anything other than struggle, and its mother has left already.
03:34 Luckily, the lion is not far. He charges and manages to fight off the leopard successfully.
03:39 Not only does the lion chase him away, but he also sits with the baby impala,
03:44 licking and comforting it until the mother returns.
03:46 When he realizes there's a slim chance she will return, he adopts the baby, then and there.
03:53 See, there are some compassionate lions there too.
03:57 Number 8, Lion takes care of baby wildebeest.
04:04 This video is doing wonders for the lion's reputation.
04:06 In another instance, this footage taken in the Serengeti in Africa
04:11 plays out like any other video of a predator tracking prey.
04:14 But there's a surprise twist.
04:17 The lioness on the prowl seizes a mother wildebeest's newborn calf,
04:21 forcing the mother to leave her minutes-old baby behind.
04:24 But rather than tearing into the kill, the lioness seems to think about it for a second.
04:30 As if disarmed by the calf's lack of fear, she allows the child to linger by her side
04:34 in the shade while she looks around.
04:36 And in another incredible twist, the helpless baby seems to imprint upon this apex predator
04:42 as its parent, nuzzling with her like it would with his mother.
04:45 For some unknown reason, the lioness doesn't stop this from happening.
04:49 But when her attention is diverted and the calf is left alone,
04:54 the wildebeest's mother runs in to get her child back.
04:58 7. Tigress Adopts Piglets
05:01 We can't think of any scenario where you could put these two animals together.
05:07 And even if we could, it would definitely end with these little guys becoming pork chops.
05:12 But in this zoo, not far from Bangkok, they seem to be getting along just fine.
05:18 This Bengal tigress takes care of the piglets as if they were her own.
05:22 But we should probably make a video on how she takes care of the pigs.
05:27 We should probably make it clear that the zookeepers took the piglets away from their mother and put them in her den.
05:32 But without fear, they ran towards the tigress, and even the big cat thought they were hers and brought them up.
05:38 You can see their little tiger print coats too.
05:42 It's not just so they can look like tiger cubs, but also to keep them warm since zoos tend to keep certain areas cold.
05:49 6. Lioness and Leopard Cub
05:55 In India's Gir region, the lioness adopted an abandoned leopard cub.
06:01 The two cats are generally at odds with each other.
06:04 But the babies of any cats are too adorable to pick a fight with.
06:09 The lioness reportedly spent weeks nursing, feeding, and caring for the cub alongside her own two lion cubs, who were about the same age.
06:17 Researchers on site thought it wouldn't last very long.
06:23 It is common practice amongst predators like these to nab a small animal and use it to teach their children how to hunt.
06:28 But in this case, the lion really was taking care of it like her own, and the leopard's new siblings were welcoming too.
06:36 5. Lion saves wildebeest from hyenas
06:42 Hyenas are never up to any good. You can be sure of that.
06:48 Born literally seconds ago, this baby wildebeest has already caught the attention of these opportunistic feeders.
06:54 They circle the mother, looking for any opportunity to strike, but the calf knows to stay close.
07:00 The hyenas start to approach in packs and taking the hint, most of the wildebeests make a run for it.
07:06 But this baby is definitely at the mercy of these hyenas, but what they don't see is a lion watching from a distance.
07:13 He tackles a hyena and brings it down with zero effort.
07:18 Successfully managing to chase it away and keep the baby safe.
07:22 Before we move on, here's a quick challenge for you.
07:28 If you can leave a like on this video, smash that subscribe button and turn on the notifications in less than 5 seconds,
07:34 you will have 10 years of amazing luck. Hurry up and try it, it actually works.
07:39 4. Lioness helps tigress raise cubs
07:45 You'll never find two apex predators just getting along with each other.
07:51 Everything is a battle, from food to territory.
07:55 And they don't waste a second to pounce on the other if one is threatened.
08:00 But this lioness was spotted helping a tigress to raise her cubs, and it looks like she doesn't mind cuddling with them either.
08:09 The caretakers say that they have never seen anything like it before, and that anyone should be ready for the unexpected once they arrive at the national park.
08:17 But it doesn't matter what you prepare yourself for, this is definitely an unusual sight to behold.
08:24 Some of the tourists expressed interest in the pair, saying that it would be hilarious if the tigers picked up the same lifestyle as the lioness.
08:32 The lioness feels like it is her duty to look after the tiger cubs,
08:38 and is there to help the mother tiger and ensure that her children are well taken care of.
08:42 3. Lion lets a baby baboon go
08:48 A pride of lions passing by this tree spotted a troop of baboons and decided it was time for a midday meal.
08:57 While some of them tried to escape, one committed a fatal mistake and got caught between the jaws of this lioness.
09:03 But something else has caught our attention.
09:07 This month old baboon crawled away from its mama and was trying to get up the tree.
09:11 Unfortunately, its instincts and strength are both pretty low at this point, but the lioness seemed intrigued and didn't go for the kill.
09:19 It wouldn't have taken longer than a second for her to end it, but she chose to watch and play around with it a little bit.
09:26 The baby was jumping up and down, screaming and hitting the lioness, desperately looking for help.
09:31 But it seems the lioness is just entertained by all this.
09:35 She keeps knocking the baby down from the tree and watching it struggle.
09:38 Finally, the baby stays on the ground and lies down, just between her paws and beyond the reach of other lions.
09:45 In an instinctual moment, the baby held on to the lioness's chest and tried to suckle.
09:51 Some say the lioness had a maternal instinct, which is known to cross the boundaries of species.
09:57 But it was clear the baby was exhausted here.
10:00 All this catches the attention of a male lion that tries to lunge for the baby.
10:05 Distracted by him, the lioness leaves her post to fight.
10:08 Seizing the opportunity, a large male baboon, probably the father, moves like lightning to rescue the baby and bring it up to safety.
10:16 It is now time to check out today's subscriber pic.
10:20 Remember, if you ever come across some bizarre or fascinating image, you can send it to us and we'll investigate.
10:26 Today's image is of a jaguar playing nice with an adorable little deer.
10:30 We took a look around the internet and here's what we found.
10:34 Check out our number 2 spot.
10:36 Leopard befriends an impala.
10:39 While most impalas run at the sight of a leopard, and they do wise to do so, this one doesn't seem to fear it as much.
10:48 Recorded in Kruger National Park in South Africa, this unlikely duo looks like it might be forming a friendship.
10:56 The young animal looks like it's nuzzling his nose.
11:02 Could it be possible that the baby has imprinted on him? Whatever the case, it doesn't make any attempt to escape.
11:07 Even when the leopard starts playing a little rough, it sticks around.
11:12 This went on for about an hour before the leopard strolled into the bush and the impala, of course, just followed.
11:19 Footage of what happened after that doesn't exist, but big cats like these are known to play with their prey.
11:27 We can hope that it ended with a beautiful, lasting friendship, but the truth is, we just don't know.
11:32 Before we take a look at the most amazing and heartwarming instance of a predator releasing prey,
11:39 we have a quick challenge for you that will only take 5 seconds.
11:42 Go ahead and subscribe to the channel and hit the notification bell, so you never miss an upload,
11:47 and you'll magically learn a new language. It really works. Try it!
11:53 Done that? Great! So, let's check out the number one most amazing instance a predator did not attack or harm their prey.
12:01 Number 1. Lioness Adopts an Antelope
12:05 In Kenya's Sambora Reserve, a lioness has adopted a baby antelope as her own and even guarded it against potential predators.
12:17 Of course, a lioness and a baby aurix antelope is quite unlikely, but we've seen some pretty unlikely scenarios in this video so far.
12:25 What's even more unlikely is that this lioness originally had six antelope under her care.
12:31 She suffered starvation since the calves wouldn't act like actual lion cubs and wait for her while she went hunting and instead followed her around everywhere.
12:40 Her story was recorded by Sabah Douglas Hamilton, a Kenyan wildlife conservationist,
12:47 and her sister, Dudu, in 2003.
12:49 The documentary "Heart of a Lioness" premiered in 2005, a year after Kamyunyak was last seen.
12:56 Sadly, a few of the antelope were caught and eaten by other predators.
13:00 And since she was starving, there wasn't much the lioness could do to defend the babies in her care, until she was eventually left with just one.
13:08 The lion and the antelope would lay down together, walk around, and even curl up next to each other like they really are mother and son.
13:17 Upon further investigation, it turned out this lioness was separated from her pride and quite lonely.
13:22 She was probably still reeling from the experience, which made her nurturing instincts kick in when she saw a defenseless baby antelope.
13:30 We see this when they go to drink some water from the river and the lioness lets the baby out of her sight for a split second.
13:36 A large male lion pounces on the antelope, but the lioness defends it like she would her own cub.
13:44 Unfortunately, being weak as she is, she is no match for the male lion.
13:49 In this one case, she could not save the calf.
13:52 But she really did care for it right up until that point.
13:56 And that's it for today. And to answer the question we asked you in the beginning,
14:03 it turns out both the cheetah and baboon and the lioness with six antelopes were true stories.
14:08 Unusual, but 100% true.
14:12 If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to hit the like button and check out more videos on nature and animals on the 4Evergreen channel.
14:18 We'll be back soon with another video, but until then, thanks for watching and we'll see you next time.
14:27 [Music]