These pictures show the incredible moment a fearless lion fights off a marauding young bull elephant in a desperate bid to protect its family.
Lasting less than a minute, the two enraged males squared up to one another before charging in a potentially deadly game of chicken.
While neither animal was hurt, it showed how merciless life can be on the plains of Africa where fresh water and water holes are at a premium.
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The lion first offered a warning to the elephant by letting off a loud growl as the two squared off beside a fresh watering hole
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Suddenly, the bull elephant charged towards the lion and its pride – which consisted of two adult males, four adult females and ten cubs
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Although the lion was forced to take some evasive measures, it successfully stood up to the lion and forced it to beat a retreat
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The pair sparred for less than a minute while the rest of the lions in the pride scrambled to avoid the angry elephant
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After failing to frighten the lion, the elephant gave up in its attempts to scare the lions away from the watering hole
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The intense standoff took place in Botswana’s Nxai Pan National Park and was captured on camera by photographer Jan Hrbacek
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All of the lions, including a second male and four females, ran away from the elephant while the leader of the pride fought it off
The intense standoff took place in Botswana’s Nxai Pan National Park, and was captured by Czech photographer Jan Hrbacek while he was on holiday last October.