Moment adolescent Elephant fought off attack by 14 Lions who tried to eat him
This is the nail-biting moment an eight-year-old elephant manages beat off a savage attack by 14 hungry lionesses.
The near-three minute fight – captured on film by safari-goers in the South Luangwa National Park, Zambia – shows the feisty herbivore surrounded by predators near a watering hole.
As the lions viciously set about the tusked mammal – who was separated from its herd – they begin taking it in turns to leap on its back and sink their teeth into its body.
Jesse Nash, a New York-based journalist who witnessed the event, told MailOnline that he was desperate to go and help but knew that would be ‘breaking the rules of nature.’ ‘We were on safari as observers, witnessing a cycle of life that is, at times, very cruel,’ he added.
In the video, Nash and other bystanders – including Long Island University art professor Dan Christoffel, British naturalist Steve Baker and Australian travel writer Nina Karnikowski – are heard encouraging the the elephant to ‘Go on fight back!’
In a bid to shrug off its attackers, the quick-thinking elephant darts into the water. However, the lions don’t seem too fazed by the wet and several of them bound into the shallow depths.
‘They know he’s struggling to stand up, they’re not going to give up. Where are the other elephants, for God’s sake?’ one worried voice can be heard shouting in the background as the fight intensifies.
But after a lengthy battle, the elephant beats the odds and escapes unscathed.
It is seen triumphantly flapping its ears, trumpeting and splashing through the water. The lions apparently left the scene and found a buffalo for dinner instead.
The group who watched the fray were mid-tour with the Chinzombo Camp Norman Carr Safari company.
Their guide, Innocent, who was driving the Jeep, said of the incident: ‘In many years I have been a safari guide in Zambia at the South Luangwa, never have I seen anything like this.
‘We were all so worried the elephant would be killed right before us. What a fighter. It fought off all 14 lions – incredible.’
The elephant was reunited with its 60-strong herd the next day. It has earned the nickname Hercules for its bravery on the battlefield.
See more: Brave Dog fights off Hungry Jaguar
This is the extraordinary moment a dog broke free from a leopard’s grasp in India.
Rocky, an adorable black Labrador retriever, was roaming outside of the Sunrise Valley apartment complex in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, early in the morning last week when he had the chilling encounter, Times of India reported.
Video footage captured Rocky calmly strolling through the garden area right outside the front door before the larger leopard pounced on him from behind.
Despite the ferocity of the attack, Rocky attempted to fight back, kicking at the cat as it bit down on his neck.
Rocky appeared to lose some of his strength as the leopard locked its claws and jaws around the pooch.
The brutal attack came to a dramatic end when the property owner, Mala Kumari, began screaming and startled the leopard, which finally released Rocky and ran away, the Times of India reported.
Rocky stood up and briefly chased the leopard before turning back and heading into the safety of his own home.
Thankfully, Rocky survived the attack.
