If you saw a lone baby elephant surrounded by a pride of 14 voracious lions, you’d probably think it’s game over for the little pachyderm. But this little guy is showing us that a bit of tenacity and a lot of courage can go a long way.
The nail-biting battle for survival was filmed recently at South Luangwa National Park near the Norman Carr Safaris Chinzombo Camp, Zambia, by guests on a game drive. During the extraordinary standoff, the baby elephant employed various tactics to fend off the relentless lionesses, such as charging at them and wading through the water. At one stage, the elephant, which is thought to be between 5-10 years old, had two lionesses on his back and another clawing at his hind legs.
“In the many years I have been a safari guide… never have I seen anything like this,” said safari guide Innocent. “What a fighter. It fought off all 14 lions. Incredible.”
It was not clear how the elephant became separated from his herd, but he has since been reunited with his family. Members of the park have appropriately named the survivor “Hercules” in honor of his valor.
[Via National Geographic, Norman Carr Safaris and Huffington Post]
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