Hippos are the gnu heroes for this wildebeest

It looked like the end for a blue wildebeest when a crocodile managed to catch its leg in the Kruger National Park – at least until it found a pair of unusual saviours.

According to Latest Sightings, 72-year-old pensioner, Mervyn Van Wyk and his wife Tokkie caught this footage of the wildebeest’s struggle, and lucky rescue.

The wildebeest battled to escape the jaws of the crocodile, even dragging the reptile out of the water, with no help from its herd in its eight minute fight for its life.

But the crocodile would not let go, and as the wildebeest got more exhausted the croc dragged the gnu back into the dam, until a pair of hippos arrived on the scene.

The hippos approached cautiously, and then suddenly sprang into action, forcing the croc to let the wildebeest go.

“While this might seem that the hippos were rescuing the wildebeest, it is most probably hippos showing territorial behaviour. Hippos don't like sharing their turf and might have seen the wildebeest as an intruder, thus attacking the wildebeest to get him out the water,” Van Wyk told latest sightings.