Lion bites off more than it can chew when it tries to chomp on a tortoise hiding in its shell

by


Lion bites off more than it can chew when it tries to chomp on a tortoise hiding in its shell

  • Taken by photographer John Sampson, 64, these hilarious images show the lion trying to eat up the tortoise
  • The stunning snaps were taken at the Royal Zambezi Lodge in the Lower Zambezi national park of Zambia
  • John said that he felt privileged to have captured the photos and was rooting for the tortoise to survive 

By Amelia Wynne For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Advertisement

A clumsy lioness bit off more than she could chew after she set her sights on a passing tortoise.

Taken by photographer John Sampson, 64, the stunning images show the lioness trying to eat up the leopard tortoise but failing as the sturdy slow coach retreats into its shell.

The snaps were taken at the Royal Zambezi Lodge in the game management area at Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia.

John said: ‘My favourite show is the lion intently watching the tortoise as it tried to make its escape. Seeing this was hugely exciting as it’s such a rare sighting.

‘I was privileged to have been able to capture it in photographs. Even though it was incredibly intriguing watching the lion trying to crack open the shell to get to the tortoise inside, we were all rooting for the tortoise to survive and live for another day.

‘We eventually left the scene to continue with our game drive, but returned later to see if we could determine what the final outcome had been. There was no sign of either the lion or the tortoise any remains of the tortoise.

‘Our ranger was confident that the lion would eventually have tired of trying to break the shell, and ‘Royal’ would have been able to escape unharmed. Thus our story has a happy ending! Well, for the tortoise, at least!’

Taken by photographer John Sampson, 64, these stunning images taken in Zambia show a lion trying to eat up a leopard tortoise but failing as the sturdy slow coach retreats into its shell

The lioness snarls at the tortoise as it protects itself from being eaten by moving back into its shell. A ranger said the tortoise probably would have survived

The lioness snarls at the tortoise as it protects itself from being eaten by moving back into its shell. A ranger said the tortoise probably would have survived 

The snaps were taken at the Royal Zambezi Lodge in the game management area at Lower Zambezi national park in Zambia

The snaps were taken at the Royal Zambezi Lodge in the game management area at Lower Zambezi national park in Zambia

Photographer John said even though it was incredibly intriguing watching the lion trying to crack open the shell to get to the tortoise inside, he was rooting for the tortoise to survive

The lioness digs its teeth into the shell

Photographer John said even though it was incredibly intriguing watching the lion trying to crack open the shell to get to the animal inside, he was rooting for the tortoise to survive

After a while the group who spotted the scene left and then a while later returned but neither animal was there anymore and there were no remains of the tortoise

After a while the group who spotted the scene left and then a while later returned but neither animal was there anymore and there were no remains of the tortoise

John said: 'My favourite show is the lion intently watching the tortoise as it tried to make its escape. Seeing this was hugely exciting as it's such a rare sighting'

John said: ‘My favourite show is the lion intently watching the tortoise as it tried to make its escape. Seeing this was hugely exciting as it’s such a rare sighting’

The mammal clamps its paws on either side of the tortoise so that it can't move away as it continues in its efforts to eat the animal

The mammal clamps its paws on either side of the tortoise so that it can’t move away as it continues in its efforts to eat the animal 

The pictures were taken by photographer John as he travelled through the Royal Zambezi Lodge in the game management area at the Lower Zambezi national park in Zambia

The pictures were taken by photographer John as he travelled through the Royal Zambezi Lodge in the game management area at the Lower Zambezi national park in Zambia

'Our ranger was confident that the lion would eventually have tired of trying to break the shell, and 'Royal' would have been able to escape unharmed. Thus our story has a happy ending! Well, for the tortoise, at least!'

‘Our ranger was confident that the lion would eventually have tired of trying to break the shell, and ‘Royal’ would have been able to escape unharmed. Thus our story has a happy ending! Well, for the tortoise, at least!’

The lioness appears to give up on her mission for a while as she takes a rest from trying to eat the tortoise, which is trying to scuttle away

The lioness appears to give up on her mission for a while as she takes a rest from trying to eat the tortoise, which is trying to scuttle away 

The lioness shows off all her teeth as she yawns while taking a break from trying to have the tortoise as a tasty afternoon snack

The lioness shows off all her teeth as she yawns while taking a break from trying to have the tortoise as a tasty afternoon snack