WATCH | Fight for survival: Lioness tries to take down an elephant to feed her cubs

10 July 2019 - 11:36 By TimesLIVE
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In an incredibly rare moment, a lioness tried to take down an elephant, hoping to feed her cubs, in the early hours of the morning at Somalisa camp, in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.

The lioness clawed into the thick skin of a young elephant, hanging on while the animal fought against the strong grip and pull of the big cat. 

After struggling to get the lioness off, the elephant managed to shake loose from her grip and ran off into the bush. 

While all the action was happening, the lioness's cubs lay in the tall grass looking on as their mother tried to secure a meal. After the unsuccessful attack, the mother came to collect them and headed away into the morning, unscathed from the encounter.

"It's never easy hearing the sound of a screeching animal fighting to survive. It was a case of mixed emotions and we were slightly relieved to see the young elephant escaping the grips of the lioness, although, witnessing the hunger of the cubs as they waited for their mother to bring home the meal [was] a contradiction of emotion that I had not quite felt before," said filmmaker Samuel Chevallier, who capture the rare footage.


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