A crocodile grabbed a baby elephant’s trunk near a watering hole — what happened next will break your heart Watch this heartbreaking scene in the video shared in the first comment
A newborn elephant narrowly escaped a crocodile attack — thanks to the lightning-fast intervention of its mother.
While the little one played near the deepest part of a watering hole in the African savannah, a crocodile suddenly burst from the water and clamped its jaws around the fragile trunk.
Startled and worried, the other elephants watched in horror, trumpeting and squealing, before rushing to rescue the defenseless baby trapped by the predator.
Showing incredible strength, the young pachyderm managed to free itself, stumbling backward and forcing the crocodile to retreat into the murky waters.
This dramatic scene was captured by photographer and farmer Francois Borman near Mana Pools, in the Zambezi Valley of Zimbabwe.
“It was the last thing I expected,” he admitted. “I had spent hours in the wild, hoping to witness just a simple moment of wildlife life.”
It all unfolded when the local crocodile spotted a group of baby elephants coming to drink. Lying in wait, the beast targeted a particularly playful youngster splashing in the shallow water.
“The little one was clearly thrilled to be near the water — he jumped into the deepest part and rolled around, letting out cries of excitement,” Borman recalls.
But the joy quickly turned to terror.
The ambushing crocodile lunged and grabbed the baby’s trunk. The elephantlet screamed in panic and struggled frantically to break free.
A heart-pounding fight for survival ensued. Despite its fragility, the baby resisted remarkably. In a desperate move, it even managed to pull the crocodile out of the water.
When more elephants arrived, the predator finally let go. The herd had saved one of its youngest members.
Borman, who captured every moment, said:
“Looking at my photos, I was overwhelmed — I knew I had captured something rare. Moments like this are every wildlife photographer’s dream. We spend hours, sometimes entire days, waiting for the chance to witness something truly extraordinary.”
« En visionnant mes clichés, j’étais transporté — je savais que j’avais saisi quelque chose de rare. Des moments comme celui-là, c’est le rêve de tout photographe animalier. Nous passons des heures, parfois des jours entiers, à attendre la chance de vivre une scène véritablement extraordinaire. »