DADADEL
A mother elephant was on high alert when a crocodile began stalking her calf, likely thinking it had found an easy meal. Unfortunately for the apex predator, the young elephant’s much bigger mother was ready to show the croc it had made a big mistake by targeting her offspring.
Hans Henrik Haahr, a tourist from Århus, Denmark, captured an amazing sight on video while in Zambia, East Africa. On safari with a group from the Baines River Camp in the Lower Zambezi Valley, Hans spotted a large mother elephant in the shallow waters of the Zambezi River. The elephant had spotted something too: a crocodile.
According to the Daily Mail, the apex predator had been stalking the elephant’s calf, who was on the river’s bank. Fortunately, the mother elephant noticed and decided to intervene. In the shocking footage, the large, angry African elephant is seen violently attacking the crocodile after it dared to prey on her calf.
As the safari party watched, hearts likely raced witnessing the brutal battle unfold between these powerful beasts. It became evident that the odds favored the mother elephant, who swiftly intervened to protect her calf by stomping on the large crocodile lurking near the water’s edge.
Despite the crocodile’s formidable size, estimated between eight to ten feet long, it stood no chance against the weight and ferocity of the adult female African elephant. Weighing between 6,000 to 8,000 pounds on average, according to SeaWorld, the enraged mother elephant decisively defeated the crocodile in the video, using her mouth, trunk, and sheer force to dispatch it.
A spokesperson for Bains River Camp, leading the safari, shared on Facebook: “Guests witnessed this dramatic sighting unfold between two of Africa’s most feared mega-fauna. Perhaps this was a revenge attack fueled by previous ambush attempts by many a crocodile on her young or the greater herd. Whatever it was, this cow was here with one intention only.”
Danish tourist Hans Henrik Haahr, who filmed the scene, called it “shocking.” The footage showed a fierce struggle as the crocodile resisted, thrashing beneath the surface while pinned by the massive elephant.
Despite lacking tusks, the elephant used her immense weight to crush the predator underwater. Relentlessly smashing the reptile, she then grabbed the croc by the tail and lifted it clear out of the water. By this point, the crocodile had ceased struggling, suggesting it was either already dead or mortally wounded.
The safari company summed it up best: “While this footage might be difficult to watch, it demonstrates just how raw and tough life is in the bush.” It also illustrates why the African elephant is one of Africa’s Top 10 Deadliest Animals, alongside the crocodile. After witnessing this footage, it’s clear why healthy adult elephants have no natural predators. Their only threats come from humans, who hunt them.
Some suggest the true “King of the Jungle” isn’t the male lion, but the healthy, massive male elephant, weighing up to 15,000 pounds. With such power, even the fiercest predators stand little chance.
Ultimately, this mirrors the protective instinct shared by mothers of all species, demonstrating their fierce determination to safeguard their offspring from harm.
