Baby elephant attacked by crocodile

Telegraph.co.uk

The scene was captured by amateur photographer Johan Opperman while taking pictures of a family of African bush elephants grazing by a water hole and cooling down.

Under the watchful eye of its family, the young elephant headed to the edge of the waterhole to grab a drink.

However, a crocodile pounced on the youngster, hoping for a kill by locking its jaws around its trunk.

Hearing the baby's distress calls, the herd of elephants scared off the reptile by trumpeting and stamping around.

After the attack the herd stayed with the youngster.

Once the herd decided all was well, they crossed the dam together, just metres from where the crocodile had been hiding.

Mr Opperman, from Pretoria, in South Africa, captured the incredible moment while on a day trip in the country's Kruger National Park.

The 38 year-old said: "The elephants were just grazing in the area, drinking water and cooling down - typical elephant behaviour.

"The crocodile grabbed the baby elephant and made an attempted kill - it was hoping for a nice lunch with elephant on the menu.

"From a couple of experts, I've heard that this is however very rare, and that crocodiles do not normally try to catch elephants.

"When the crocodile got hold of the baby elephant, the whole herd of elephants first went crazy, running around and trumpeting, and then proceeded to come to the rescue of the baby elephant.

"After it was saved, all the elephants of the herd stayed around the baby elephant for a while, making sure that it was okay.

"The ones coming to the rescue were most probably female, especially the matriarch female.

"I did not realise exactly what I managed to catch on film until I got to my holiday resort that night and looked through the photos on my computer.

"The screen on digital cameras is not the greatest and made it hard to see the details of what was captured.

"When the 'action' started, I just started clicking away in typical amateur fashion, hoping to get at least something.

"It was quite a surprise to later see on the larger computer monitor that I actually managed to get one photo of the crocodile pulling on the elephant."

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Any great medical researcher will tell you that within 20 min. of starting you research you will have changed your mind, from your initial conclusion, and 20 min. later you will have changed your mind again. Animal researchers, in particular the folks studying elephants, have to be careful and not let their bias and personal agenda cloud their research. The more they embrace the sanctuary crowd, the less legitimate their results/findings/conclusions become. Were the elephants taking the baby to safety, or were they just crossing the river to get the hell away from danger themselves. You can witness the same reaction and actions from a herd of broodmare's if something happens to one of them, or one of the foal. You will witness the exact same reaction and actions from a herd of cow's, sheep, elk, deer, in fact, from any "herd" animal you happen to be looking at, even in a pack, pride, or troop animal. Yet no "researcher" has as yet proclaimed to the heavens that these other animals are exhibiting human emotions and thought process. That screaming, yelling, stomping, and carrying one, is actually "self preservation" and not a Mossad rescue team. The gentleman above, who photographed this scene can be excused for assuming it was a rescue, because he is a self described "amateur." But by excusing him, we don't want to give the illusion of endorsing him, because after all what does he really know. If we did endorse him, we would also have to assume that peta and Carol Buckley know what elephant abuse is, given their vast experience and assuming they have no bias or agenda, and accept them as instructor's and teacher's to the government posted animal control officers, on what to look for when it come's to elephant abuse. What a sham those association's are. I have never bought into, or believed in the "conspiracy theory/witch hunt statements of the circus industry. Never once, did I ever see or hear anything that would suggest that. But you know what, I have to admit, this peta/Carol Buckley/animal control officer association most definatly walks like, talks like, and look's like. While the city councels are at it they should see about getting the Pope, or at the very least Billy Graham to advise them on their abortion clinic's. You would probably get an as accurate, unbiased and knowledgeable report from them as you would from peta or Carol Buckly in regards to your elephants. But that would seem like an abortion issue witch hunt, wouldn't it.