Dramatic photographs of a female elephant and a crocodile engaging in a ferocious tug of war in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park. |
The elephant was drinking from the River Luangwa with her baby when a crocodile leapt out of the water and grabbed hold of her trunk. She was initially brought down to her knees as the predator thrashed around. |
But the elephant eventually summoned the strength to walk away from the water, dragging the still-attached crocodile with her for several metres. |
The crocodile then let go. However, as the elephants ran away, the baby tripped and fell. The pair were seen feeding from the river later in the day. In his Just So Stories, Rudyard Kipling said such a battle was how the Elephant's Child got his trunk. |