Flyin’ lion: Buffalo tosses predator into the air

When Ian Matheson, his 16-year-old son, Oliver, and two of Oliver's friends went for an early morning drive in the Mjejane Reserve at Kruger National Park, South Africa, they were hoping to capture some wildlife on camera.

What they weren't expecting: to see a buffalo toss a hungry lion into the air.

"We had seen the two young lions on the prowl and were already quite excited to witness nature in action, but nothing could have prepared us for what we saw next," said Oliver.

"Two young lions had been silently stalking the buffalo for about 45 minutes when one finally made its move. But the predator was so focused on bringing down his prey that it left itself open to a surprise attack," wrote Barcroft Media, which posted the video on YouTube.

Their video of the remarkable encounter has gone viral.

"We visit the park two to three times a year," Ian told the Daily Mail. "In all the years we have been coming to the reserve, we have never seen anything close to what we saw that morning. We really felt privileged to have witnessed such a rare occurrence."

According to Barcroft Media, all of the animals involved walked away with no major injuries — "except perhaps some bruised egos on the lion's part."