A warthog found no refuge in its burrow from three attacking lions but put up a brave fight. (Video of the encounter, below, might be disturbing to some viewers.)
The big cats trapped the hog in its own hole, clamping onto its head as the predators played a deadly game of “tug of war” with their prey, Latest Sightings noted in the video it shared over the weekend.
The warthog remained mostly unseen in the video until it surged upward as the lions yanked, in perhaps a last-ditch attempt to spring free. It wasn’t successful.
“Unfortunately for the warthog, the lions were able to pull it out,” Juan Pinto, the videographer who captured the scene in South Africa, told the wildlife site. “And within a matter of seconds, three lions collectively suffocated and killed the warthog. The squeals and cries came to a sudden halt, and the bush returned to its original calmness in no time.”
Warthogs carry a reputation for fearlessness but “despite their bravado they do fall prey to predators often,” according to a safari website.
One viewer on YouTube called the warthog’s fierce resistance “commendable.” Another wrote that it deserved a “posthumous award for standing up” to the lions.
“The warthog fought to the very end,” another commenter added.