For wildlife photographers, a trip to Kenya’s Maasai Mara is usually about capturing the perfect image of a lion.
On one extraordinary safari, however, the roles were almost reversed.
Instead of simply posing for the cameras, a lion picked up a photographer’s enormous professional telephoto lens in its mouth and casually walked away with it, turning an ordinary wildlife shoot into one of the most unusual—and potentially expensive—photography mishaps imaginable.
The strange encounter happened in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, one of Africa’s most famous wildlife destinations. Video from the scene showed the lion moving through the grass with a large camouflaged lens clamped between its jaws, apparently treating the sophisticated piece of photographic equipment like an oversized toy.
According to photography publication PetaPixel, the lens belonged to another photographer who had accidentally dropped it while out photographing wildlife. Fellow photographer Dansen Raddy Raddy was positioned nearby when the lion appeared with the equipment. He initially had not realized the animal had picked up a camera lens at all.
Once he understood what he was seeing, he began recording.
The resulting footage was almost absurd: a powerful African lion calmly strolling across the savanna while carrying the sort of equipment photographers normally protect as carefully as possible.
There was no dramatic chase to retrieve it.
There could not be.
When the animal holding your equipment is an adult lion, recovering it immediately is obviously not an option.
The safest response was to remain at a distance, watch, and hope the lion eventually lost interest.
An Extremely Expensive “Cat Toy”
Wildlife photography often requires specialized equipment because animals may be hundreds of feet away and approaching them too closely would be dangerous, disruptive or both.
That is why professional wildlife photographers frequently use super-telephoto lenses. Their long focal lengths allow photographers to fill the frame with distant subjects while maintaining a responsible distance.
National Geographic notes that telephoto or zoom lenses can be essential tools for safari wildlife photography, particularly when animals cannot—or should not—be approached closely. The Maasai Mara’s vast grasslands make such equipment particularly useful because wildlife can appear anywhere from directly beside a safari vehicle to far across the plains.
But professional super-telephoto lenses can also be among the most expensive pieces of equipment in a photographer’s bag.
PetaPixel reported that the lens in the lion video appeared to be either a large 400mm f/2.8 or 600mm f/4-style lens, although its camouflage cover made a definitive identification difficult.
That distinction matters, because lenses in this category can cost as much as a small used car.
For example, Canon has listed its professional RF600mm F4 L IS USM super-telephoto lens at $14,499 in the United States.
In other words, the lion may have been carrying equipment worth roughly $15,000 in its mouth.
To the animal, of course, none of that mattered.
There was no concept of optical engineering, image stabilization, aperture size or replacement cost.
There was simply a large, unusual object lying in the grass.
And it was apparently interesting enough to investigate.
The Moment Nobody Could Have Planned
Raddy told PetaPixel that he had been waiting for the lion to approach when he realized what it was carrying.
The bizarre sight caught him completely by surprise.
The lens had reportedly been dropped accidentally by another photographer. The lion found it before its owner could safely retrieve it, picked it up with its mouth and began moving around with it.
Another recording from the encounter reportedly showed the animal eventually dropping the lens near a safari vehicle. The equipment was later recovered.
By then, however, the lion had already left its mark.
The lens suffered visible damage consistent with having been gripped by the animal’s teeth.
Considering the strength of a lion’s jaws, the fact that the lens was recoverable at all could probably be considered fortunate.
Smithsonian’s National Zoo describes lions as having powerful forelegs, teeth and jaws adapted for bringing down and consuming large prey. Adult males can weigh between roughly 330 and 550 pounds, while females commonly weigh between about 265 and 395 pounds.
A precision optical instrument is not designed to withstand that kind of bite.
Professional lenses may have rugged construction intended for demanding environments, but “lion-proof” is not a specification camera manufacturers generally advertise.