[3rd POV]
[Name: Dr. T. Soma Tonson
Role: Lead researcher and ethologist.
Nationality: Indian (from Nagaland, Northeast India)
Age: 62]
...
The camera showed a familiar face after the brutal scene ended. Dr. Tonson was sitting in a darkly lit room, the deep silence of the previous scene still lingered but it was being forgotten as the screen lightened up.
"Something happened after Leo took down his first buffalo. He changed, and we noticed this gradually in the next six months until he became a completely different beast. The only thing I could compare this to is a teenager in adolescence experiencing a pivotal change in his life," he said in a solemn voice.
"There was no stopping him," he said, "He began slaughtering the buffaloes,"
"Perhaps he was searching for the high he got after he took down that bachelor. He began killing them, even more often than he did his usual prey. The only thing that stopped him seemed to be the recovery he had to make after each hunt," he said and rubbed his hands together.
"But the better he got at hunting them, the more he did. At one point, it was no longer about food but more about sport and training himself. He was like a kid who learned to do something which he thought was really cool and so he began doing that repeatedly," he said.
"Since buffalo are large animals, especially the bachelors which Leo hunted, the surplus that he had was of ridiculous proportions. At that point, he was not only feeding himself but every predator in the ecosystem during the dry season." Dr Tonson said.
The documentary showed multiple images of predators, ranging from leopards, jackals, wild dogs, honey badgers, cheetahs and even the hyenas, all eating the remains of Leo's kills.
"In the span of half a year, Leo single-handedly took down 62 full-grown buffalo. His kill counts alone pushed the yearly buffalo death toll to three times the previous record. A record set long ago when numerous lion prides still roamed the Serengeti, which was way before the reign of the Three Brothers. And Leo accomplished it alone with only six months of effort," he said.
The documentary showed vultures thriving and swarming at a freshly killed buffalo, which Leo only ate the organs and some muscles of. The vultures had blood covering them and they looked fuller, bigger, and there was a phantom smile on their beaks.
"It was a bloody year," Dr Tonson said.
And then he shrugged with a carefree smile, "Not to worry, though, as 62 deaths did not leave a dent in the population of the buffalo. In fact, it was a much-needed population control as the buffalo had been multiplying too much ever since the three brothers took over the whole of the territory and chased out all other prides, when lions were known to be the only predators to hunt buffalo. It was almost like nature gave birth to Leo to balance things out again,"
"On the other side, the death rates of predators like wild dogs and jackals dying of starvation in that year also plummeted due to Leo," he said,
"By the second and third months, the birth rates of many known scavengers also increased," he continued, "That's how nature is, one dies and the others live because of it."
The images finally cut to proper footage. The camera panned over a female cheetah with cubs feasting on a rotten buffalo carcass. her bones were once visible but now they were padded with meat. The cheetah snarled briefly, not at a hyena, but at a black-maned shadow looming in the distance.
"Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing is an argument that can go on forever. But what is undeniable is that Leo forever made an impact on the ecosystem," he said.
There was a brief pause as the documentary showed all the lives that survived because of Leo and all the deaths that were because of his overhunting.
"Now, speaking changes, let's talk about the physical changes that happened to Leo over the months due to this lifestyle," Dr Tonson said, and a smile slowly stretched his lips.
A graphic showed the comparison of Leo's body over the months. From a big, muscular 250-kilogram lion to a behemoth, weighing 320-330 kilograms.
Just looking at that before anything was said was already enough to blow the mind.
"Buffalo meat is dense. It contains significantly more muscle fibre and creatine-rich tissue than zebra or wildebeest. It's hard to digest, but once adapted, it builds muscle and promotes growth like a steroid drug," he said.
"His bones thickened. His frame grew wider. His mane darkened and spread further across his shoulders. And most importantly, his testosterone levels spiked," he said.
"His testosterone level is unbelievable. We tested his T-level using his urine and faeces, which we collected as quickly as possible," he said and then paused. And then laughed.
"Which is gross and funny when I say it out loud," he admitted, "But in the name of research, we did what we had to do,"
"Anyways, we tested his testosterone level a few times, and in every case, it always surpassed 2000 ng/dL. and sometimes it neared the 3000 mark. Which is completely insane when you realise that the average lion has around 300 ng/dL and lion kings and dominant kings range from 600-1000 ng/dL," Dr Tonson said as the screen showed data for what he was saying.
"For better reference, Leo, during this stage of his life, had testosterone comparable to bodybuilders who are using as many steroids as they can," he said.
"I also want to mention that Leo has not reached three years during these tests and we could not get a good urine or faeces sample after he became three years old due to him becoming the king and using his urine to mark his territory. We can only estimate him to reach 5000 ng/dL in his prime," he said.
"Now, you must be wondering how Leo's testosterone is that high. There are many answers for this, genetic mutation etc, but one of the reasons is this," he said.
The documentary returned to footage of Leo wrestling a massive bachelor buffalo triple his size. The struggle lasted over ten minutes, a brutal dance of blood and stamina.
"Each kill wasn't just a meal, it was a battle," Dr. Tonson said. "And in mammals, frequent high-intensity battles flood the system with testosterone. So what does that translate to for a lion that hunts every three days at the least?" he said.
The documentary showed a montage of Leo hunting buffalo. A number was displayed on screen to show the experience he had under his belt with each hunt. From 4 kills, 8 kills, 15 kills, 30 kills, 47 kills etc.
And you could see that Leo's mane grew visibly darker with each hunt and he also got more confident and better at hunting the buffalo.
"His increased testosterone was a huge advantage he had over any other animal on the planet. It helped him build muscle, recover insanely quickly, and it also gave him more explosive power in general," he said.
"But it also had a disadvantage which is that Leo got more and more aggressive as he aged. The reason for his overhunting of buffalo could be attributed to this high testosterone level and also, after three months had passed since his first buffalo, Leo began hunting another, powerful animal besides buffalo," Dr. Tonson said.
"Leo began hunting other lions too,"
The footage changed to show a scene of Leo, who had just finished hunting a buffalo and was now eating his hard-earned meal. But while he was eating, a roar echoed in the distance.
That immediately earned his attention as he looked forward. A few minutes later, a rogue lion emerged from the forest and stood face to face with Leo.
From the body language, you could tell that there was tension in the air, and both were aggressive towards each other. The foreigner's aim seems to be to fight Leo for the buffalo carcass.
"It began with this. The first time Leo ever encountered another rogue male, and the first time he faced a lion other than the three kings," Dr. Tonson said.
Leo gave a warning. But the new lion did not heed them.
In the end, Leo got up. The moment he did, there was silence as the viewers processed just how big Leo was when compared to other average lions.
The battle was brief, and honestly didn't even feel like a battle at all. The lion could not even put up a proper fight as Leo ended his life by crushing his skull a few seconds after the fight started.
"And this was it. Leo was so much bigger now and so much stronger compared to his peers that whatever lion encountered him, their fate was almost always certain death," he said.
The footage continued, this time it showed a montage of Leo fighting with other rogue lions during the past three months. It would be more correct to call them slaughter instead of a fight because that was what they looked like.
"The dry season was a time when challengers moved to other territories to fight the kings. Resources are scarce and the dominant are at their weakest. The lion instinctively knew this and this is the time when they are most violent," Dr Tonson explained.
"The Serenegti was a vast territory with only one pride ruling everything. Naturally, the land received more rogue males and challenges than every other region in Africa. And Leo became the boogie man for these foreigners," he said.
One video showed a rogue male with a battered frame and old scars. A smart viewer could deduce that it was an old king from the past who got beaten by a challenger. But the lion was not past its prime, so it was looking to take over a new one.
He ventured across the river, drawn by the scent of a fresh. There were signs that told him that he should not move forward and should turn back and run instead. The vultures circled in the sky, most life was running in the opposite direction and his old instincts screamed.
But he moved forward all the same, driven by hunger and pride. He crossed the river slowly and warily while scanning the other side. The moment he climbed the embankment was already too late for him.
Leo exploded out from the edge of the river. He was raw motion of muscle and teeth. The intruder could not run. He only had enough time to face the incoming enemy.
Two lions collide chest-to-chest with a sickening thud. The rogue digs in his claws, snarling, trying to gain footing, but Leo is a wall of flesh and fury. A swipe from Leo's foreleg knocks the rogue sideways, spraying blood and fur.
He scrambled back up, growling, managing to bite Leo's shoulder, but it was like biting a tree trunk. Leo slams his head forward, skull crashing into the rogue's face, dazing him. In the same second, Leo lunged and bit deep into the rogue's spine just below the neck, and shook violently.
The rogue kicked frantically, his paws flailing in muddy water, but Leo didn't let go. He hauls the male backwards like a limp carcass, dragging him into the shallows. Blood mixes with river silt. The thrashing slows. Leo rises, still holding the rogue by the back, and delivers a final, brutal slam into a half-submerged rock.
The body folds in on itself. Motionless. The water carries away fur and blood.
Starving to death would've been better than trying to take Leo's kills.
....
Another footage showed two coalition males, young and bold. They crept through the low grass, trying to hunt a small herd of wildebeest that were left behind in the dry season.
They had a plan, and they were laser-focused on their own task. Perhaps that was why they didn't realise they were not only hunting but they were also being hunted by something else.
A movement among the dried tall grass spooked them out of their focus. The smell was faint, but both felt the smell of another male. They had thought it was each other's scent, but the dark turth was that there was a third lion.
Leo stood up and towered over the two lions that were crouched down and stalking.
A short, intense battle took place after that. The herd of wildebeest fled immediately upon hearing the sound of lion roars and growls.
The battle was amid the grasses, so it was hard to see what was going on, even for the viewers. The golden grass camouflaged them well.
But barely a minute later, one lion walked away, leaving two corpses to beeld out among the grass.
....
The footage showed another lion, but this time it was quite different. He was noticeably bigger than the others. The lion entered Leo's hunting grounds and territory. Not only that, the lion began roaring at once to announce his presence and rule over the land, which was unoccupied by the three brothers.
Perhaps the lion thought that the territory was big enough for other prides to also exist. Even though he had not won his right, the lion began acting as king.
A big mistake, as his roars were answered by another one. A bigger one, a louder one. If sound could make you run, this was it.
But by the time the rogue heard the roar, it was too close.
Leo emerged from a brush, towering and silent. The rogue flinched back. For all his size, Leo was so much bigger.
But the challenger did not run. Instead, they circle each other in slow steps, both hulking, both ready.
And the first clash was the end of the battle.
At this point, Leo was not only strong but also experienced. If he had come to fight Leo two months earlier, he would've maybe lasted a full minute against the kinslayer.
They collided, and the rogue folded. Leo clamped his jaw at the ear, tearing that off along with loose skin with one powerful tug.
And on the ground, Leo wrestled the lion and began mauling him. He attacked the inner bellies and thighs. He tore the lion like paper and the same voice that released bold roars screamed in pain and begged for help.
.....
"In total, Leo killed 17 different lions in the span of three months," Dr Tonson said solemnly.
"At this point, Leo had already crossed the 300-kilogram weight. Probably closer to 350 than 300 kilograms. He had experience under his belt, even dominant kings that ruled their while life did not have that much kill count."
"And so he was ready..."
"To challenge the kings,"
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[IMAGE]
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Author : The documentary will end next chapter.