This amazing incident occurred in Zimbabwe when a brave mother elephant
lunged at two lionesses to prevent the eating of her calf.
The Mana Pools National Park scenes were caught by photographer Kevin
Dooley last month. He claimed the lionesses were hunting warthog when a
young elephant strayed from her group.
The infant elephant reportedly continued after the jaguar without
recognizing the warthog before being tackled by lions, according to Mr.
Dooley. In Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park, a courageous mother elephant
charged at two lionesses who had her baby pinned to the ground and prevented
them from eating it.
According to photographer Kevin Dooley, the lions were pursuing a warthog
until they saw the young elephant following it in amusement. They promptly
shifted their prey since they knew the elephant would supply more
food.
A young elephant might have fed the lions for days, Mr. Dooley said, but a
warthog would be devoured in a couple of hours.
One of the lionesses was pregnant and in need of nourishment, he
claimed.
Since elephants are difficult for lions to kill, they typically have to
train as a pride from an early age; otherwise, they will avoid them and seek
out smaller, less dangerous prey.
The lions easily defeated the elephant by jumping on its back and pressing
it to the ground. They then applied all of their weight to begin
immobilizing the elephant.
A baby elephant eventually showed up and attempted to help its younger
sibling after the baby elephant began to cry.
But the lions wouldn't let up on their prey, and ultimately the teen gave
up and fled in terror. When the mother elephant suddenly materialized, she
charged the lions who were attempting to kill the infant with all of her
might. The mother elephant yelled angrily and flung dust into the air as one
of the lionesses rapidly withdrew.
The infant elephant was swiftly held down by the two lionesses, one of whom
was extremely pregnant, and they were attempting to kill it when the newborn
elephant's relatives came at them, according to Mr. Dooley.
Before the mother (left) arrived and chased the lions away, the baby
elephant's young sibling (right) had tried to frighten them off but was
unable to match their size.
While being tightly restrained, the second lioness growled at her mother
elephant. Although the elephant did not flee, the lion ultimately gave up.
She was no match for an enraged adult elephant, the lion realized.
The mother elephant lifted the youngster with her trunk as the predators
moved away. She checked again after giving the infant a whiff. The lions
bolted into the surrounding woods. The lions fled as the entire herd of six
or seven elephants charged into the undergrowth.
I was aware that I was witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Just
attempting to snap shots kept me so occupied. I was first a little dejected
before the mother showed up, but I knew lions had to eat. I knew the lions
had no chance as soon as I saw the mother elephant pursuing them.
Tags:
animals