At Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe, photographer Kevin Dooley captured a dramatic encounter between a mother elephant and two lionesses.
The powerful moment showcased the mother’s fierce determination to protect her calf from predators.
Initially hunting a warthog, the lionesses shifted their focus when they saw a baby elephant who had strayed from its herd and was playfully chasing the warthog. Recognizing the elephant as a more substantial meal, the lions decided to pursue it.
Dooley explained that while a warthog would only sustain the lions for a few hours, a baby elephant could provide nourishment for several days. One of the lionesses was heavily pregnant and urgently needed food.
The lions quickly overpowered the young elephant, pinning it to the ground. The baby’s cries attracted its teenage sibling, who tried to help but could not fend off the lions.
When the mother elephant arrived, she intensely determinedly charged at the lions. One lioness immediately retreated while the other struggled to fend off the enraged mother.
Using her trunk, the mother elephant lifted her calf, checking for injuries before the rest of the herd—now six or seven strong—joined the fight. They drove the lions away, forcing them to flee into the bushes.
Dooley, moved by the scene’s intensity, initially felt sorrow for the baby elephant but was soon awed by the mother’s fierce protection. He recognized the encounter as both rare and remarkable.
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