In the heart of the African bush, a baby elephant found itself in danger when a crocodile tried to bite its trunk, but with help from its mother and a little luck, it escaped unscathed.
The young elephant was enjoying a swim in the deep part of a waterhole, when suddenly, a crocodile shot out of the water and clamped its jaws around the calf’s trunk. The herd, standing nearby, watched in shock as the crocodile tried to drag the baby elephant under the water.
But the young elephant wasn’t ready to give up. It fought back, pushing against the crocodile, and eventually managed to shake it off, forcing the crocodile to retreat into the murky water.
Francois Borman, a photographer who had been waiting for hours to capture wildlife moments, was there to witness the dramatic scene. He was at Mana Pools in Zimbabwe’s Zambezi Valley, and this moment was beyond what he had expected. “This was the last thing I expected to see! I had been in the jungle for hours, hoping for some action,” Borman said.
He explained that the crocodile had been stalking the elephants for some time. “The crocodile noticed the small elephants coming to drink and began stalking the calf that was playing in the shallow water,” Borman said.
The baby elephant had been completely unaware of the danger. It had been jumping into the deep, murky pool, trumpeting loudly with excitement, completely focused on having fun. “The baby elephant seemed excited about the water, jumping into the deep, murky pool and rolling around,” Borman recalled.
When the crocodile struck, it was chaos. The baby elephant squealed in panic, trying to fight back. “It was chaotic when the crocodile grabbed the baby elephant’s trunk,” Borman said. The baby elephant struggled fiercely, pulling against the crocodile. “Time seemed to freeze as the calf struggled, pulling the crocodile almost completely out of the water,” Borman remembered.
The rest of the herd rushed in, making loud noises and trying to protect the baby elephant. Finally, with the help of the herd, the crocodile let go and disappeared back into the water.
After the danger passed, the baby elephant, shaken but unharmed, was helped back by its mother. “It had no idea about the dangers in the muddy waters,” Borman said.
When Borman looked at the photos he had taken, he knew he had captured something special. “When I looked at my photos, I was thrilled because I knew they were something special,” he said.
For wildlife photographers like Borman, moments like this are what make all the waiting worth it. “Wildlife photographers spend hours waiting for moments like this, and shots like these make it all worth it,” Borman said.
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