“Be careful next time” – Baby Elephant Narrowly Escapes Crocodile’s Clutches at Watering Hole—Mom’s Timely Rescue Ensures a Dramatic Survival

In a real-life version of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, this calf had been splashing around in the shallow end of a watering hole in the African bush, when the crocodile launched out of the water and clamped down on his trunk.

Ready to strike: A baby elephant drinks at a watering hole in the African bush as a crocdile lurks menacingly in the water just feet away

Ready to strike: A baby elephant drinks at a watering hole in the African bush as a crocdile lurks menacingly in the water just feet away

Snap! The crocodile lurches out of the water in the blnk of an eye and clamps its jaws around the calf's trunk

Snap! The crocodile lurches out of the water in the blnk of an eye and clamps its jaws around the calf’s trunk

The incredible pictures were caught on camera by Zimbabwean farmer and keen amateur photogtapher Francois Borman, by the Mana Pools in Zimbabwe’s Zambezi Valley.

The incredible pictures were caught by Zimbabwean farmer and keen photographer Francois Borman by the Mana Pools in Zambezi Valley

The incredible pictures were caught by Zimbabwean farmer and keen photographer Francois Borman by the Mana Pools in Zambezi Valley

The rest of the herd stood around in shock, trumpeting and snorting as they battled to save the helpless baby elephant from the attack

The rest of the herd stood around in shock, trumpeting and snorting as they battled to save the helpless baby elephant from the attack

Against the odds, the baby elephant manages to shake off the reptile and stumble backwards with a little help from his mum

Against the odds, the baby elephant manages to shake off the reptile and stumble backwards with a little help from his mum