Nature specials are usually filled with harrowing scenes of predators taking down prey. Well, Planet Earth 2 managed to catch a lion missing out on a grand opportunity with a giraffe. Take a look.
Man. That giraffe was not playing around. If you're going to get attacked by a lion, it makes a lot of sense to just keep right on running if you can. Make that sucker chase you down and work for its dinner, right? Why let it jump at you and stop in fear? See if you can run the damn thing over while you try to get away. You might still get eaten, but at least it will slow that lion down and teach it that not all giraffes are an easy meal just because they're gentle and gangly. It's kind of hard to tell from this clip, but there are actually multiple lions after this giraffe. While no one wants these lions to starve, it's so uncommon to see an animal like a giraffe getting the better of a lion, that it's a pretty cool sight.
For a little background information, this particular pride of lions had been looking for a fresh kill for several days and hadn't yet been successful. When they come to a dry river bed at the edge of their territory, they found giraffes, and that's when this chase began. Two lions led the chase, while others began to close in and try to cut off possible escape routes. That's when one lion, who was probably hungry as a mofo, decided to just try to tackle the galloping giraffe. Unfortunately for these lions, since giraffes are so large, they also weigh a lot more, and, as we've seen in the clip, if they have the will to fight or keep hightailing it when the lions come around, it's not impossible for them to get away relatively unscathed. Giraffe 1; Lions 0.
Planet Earth 2 is, of course, the sequel to the smash hit documentary Planet Earth, which aired in 2006. The sequel, which was also narrated by Sir David Attenborough, aired on November 6 in the U.K., and was filmed in ultra high definition to really capture the splendor of some of the greatest environments and creatures of Earth. A record breaking 9.2 million viewers caught the premiere of the series, making it the highest rated natural history documentary program to air on BBC One in more than 15 years. It also ranked as the sixth highest TV episode to air in the U.K. at all this season.
There's no doubt in my mind that amazing sights like the one above, where a lion actually gets handled by a giraffe, are the kind of thing that encouraged people to take a look at the series when it premiered. Planet Earth 2 is a six-part series that will air here on BBC America, starting January 28.
