These impressive photos were captured by a tourist named Martin Nyfeler from Kloten, Switzerland, during his visit to South Luangwa National Park in Zambia in September 2010. On this occasion, the man witnessed a mother elephant and her calf standing near a watering hole. The serene scene was abruptly disrupted by the unexpected appearance of a Nile crocodile.
As they approached the edge of the water, the crocodile suddenly lunged and clamped onto the mother elephant’s trunk. Despite her attempts to escape, it was the innocent action of the baby elephant that saved the lives of both mother and child – Photo 1. The mother elephant managed to run far away from the water, but the persistent 6-meter-long predator defied the norms and launched itself out of the water, gripping the mother elephant’s trunk.
“While crocodiles are typically not known to prey on elephants, they mostly feed on small fish and creatures,” said Jason Bell, Assistant Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians at the Philadelphia Zoo.
“However, there are still instances where crocodiles take advantage of opportunities when animals come close to the water’s edge. This can include young hippos, African buffalos, and they can be dragged into the water by the crocodiles,” added Jason.
The mother elephant managed to escape, but the crocodile persisted in holding onto her trunk. Then, a miraculous moment occurred when the young elephant, in an unknowingly clumsy move, stumbled and fell right onto the adversary. This caused the crocodile to release its grip on the mother elephant and return to the water. The two elephant mothers continued to run.
In the end, it was thanks to the small, unintentional action of the baby elephant that the two mother elephants escaped from the cunning crocodile. This is undoubtedly a fortunate outcome for them.
