With his mother’s assistance, the newborn elephant made a fortunate escape when a crocodile attempted to bite his trunk.
A crocodile emerged from the water and lunged for the trunk of a baby elephant swimming near a drinking hole in the African forest. The herd mates watched in astonishment, trumpeting and snorting as they tried to protect the vulnerable calf from the predator.
The young elephant managed to scare off the crocodile, tumbling back to evade danger and forcing it to retreat into the murky water. While the baby elephant drank at the watering hole, a crocodile remained still a few feet away. In an instant, the crocodile leaped from the water, snapping its jaws around the calf’s trunk.
Francois Borman captured these incredible moments with his camera near Mana Pools in Zimbabwe’s Zambezi Valley. “This was the last thing I expected to see! I had been in the jungle for hours hoping to witness some action,” he exclaimed. “I usually have high expectations when I’m out with my camera, but this was astonishing to witness.”
A local crocodile noticed the herd of young elephants approaching to drink and spent time sizing them up, especially targeting the baby calf playing in the shallows. “It was clear the baby elephant was thrilled by the water, as it jumped into the deep, murky depths and began rolling around, trumpeting with excitement.”
The talented photographer and farmer, Francois Borman, captured these stunning images near Mana Pools in Zimbabwe’s Zambezi Valley. The rest of the herd gathered in awe, snorting and trumpeting as they worked to protect the helpless baby elephant.
With a little help from his mother, the calf shook off the crocodile and stumbled backward. “The baby didn’t have to worry about the outside world, and it certainly wasn’t aware of the potential dangers lurking in the murky water,” he noted.
The tiny calf knelt to drink from the water, unsure of how to use its trunk. Eventually, it stood up and tried to reach the water with its trunk. “It was chaotic when the crocodile lunged at the baby elephant’s trunk. With a desperate squeal, the calf charged at the crocodile, fighting for its life.”
“Time seemed to freeze as the calf resisted, displaying incredible determination and almost instantly pulling the reptile out of the water. After more elephants rushed to the scene to help, the crocodile finally released the calf.”
“When I reviewed my photos, I was thrilled because I knew they were something special. Moments like these are the reward—wildlife photographers spend a lot of time waiting and hoping for that perfect shot.”
