With his mother’s help, the newborn elephant made a fortuitous escape when a crocodile tried to bite off his trunk.
A crocodile emerged from the water and snatched the trunk of a baby elephant that was swimming around the deep end of a drinking hole in the African forest.
Trunking and snorting, the herd mates stared in amazement as they battled to protect the defenseless little calf from the threat.
The young elephant overwhelmed the scared crocodile and tumbled back to avoid the danger, forcing it back into the murky water.
A baby elephant drinks at a watering hole in the African bush while a crocodile stands stiffly in the water a few feet away. The crocodile jumps out of the water and snaps its jaws shut around the calf’s trunk in an instant.
Francois Borman’s camera was used to take the amazing pictures by Mana Pools in Zimbabwe’s Zambezi Valley.”This is the last thing I imagined seeing! I was out in the jungle for several hours hoping for some activity,” he exclaimed
I usually have high standards when I go out with my camera, but this situation is just amazing to witness.
“A local crocodile saw the herd of small elephants coming down to drink and spent some time measuring them up, chasing the baby calf playing in the shallows,” the observer reported.
“It’s clear the baby elephant was excited about the water because he sprang into the deep, murky water and began to roll around, screaming.”
The rest of the herd gathered around in wonder, snorting and trumpeting as they struggled to keep the helpless baby elephant safe.
The baby elephant throws off the crocodile and stumbles backward with a little help from his mother.
“It didn’t have to worry about the outside world, and it definitely didn’t consider the dangers that might be present in the murky waters,” he went on.
The tiny calf knelt down to drink from its lips because it was unsure of how to use its trunk to do so. Eventually, it got up and tried its hand at using its trunk to reach the water.
“It was a mess when the crocodile jumped onto the baby elephant’s trunk and grabbed it.”With a choking squeal, the calf charged the crocodile, fighting for its life.
“Time stopped still as the calf resisted and with incredible tenacity, almost immediately pulled the reptile out of the water.”After more elephants raced to the scene to assist, the crocodile eventually released the calf.
“When I saw my pictures, I was overjoyed because I knew they were special.”
“Snaps like this are the payoff—wildlife photographers spend a lot of time waiting, hoping for that specific sight.”
