It was a scene straight out of an African safari. On the plains of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, a male lion disturbed a resting impala carcass in search of a meal. Little did the lion know that the impala was far from dead. The impala carcass had been left by a previous pride of lions and had started to rot in the African heat. As the male lion approached the carcass, the smell of death filled the air. He began to dig into the carcass, but was startled by the sudden movement of the impala’s head.
The impala was not dead, but was instead in a state of rigor mortis. The stiff body of the impala began to move and flail as the male lion attempted to make a meal of it. The lion was so shocked that he ran away from the carcass, leaving it behind.
The impala died shortly afterwards, but not before it gave the lion a fright of a lifetime. This bizarre event illustrates the power of nature and the unpredictability of life in the wild. It also serves as a reminder to wildlife photographers and safari-goers that animals can still surprise us, even when they seem to be dead.
