Do lions kill only when they are hungry?

Lions are opportunistic predators and will attempt to kill whenever the opportunity presents itself. Although they kill only to sustain themselves, they do occasionally kill much more than they can consume. This usually happens when the prey animals are in a weak and emaciated condition and unable to escape or offer resistance.

On some occasions during droughts, when prey animals concentrate in large numbers around the last remaining water holes, lions, particularly young individuals, have been seen to kill several head of prey in a herd.

During the severe drought of 1996, a pride of lions killed five adult and 10 young African buffalo from a starving herd in one locality near Punda Maria. Similarly, near Lower Sabie a pride of lions killed six buffalo from a herd.