A wildebeest demonstrates its extreme determination to live by avoiding the gaping jaws of a ravenous crocodile with only a flesh wound. The fierce struggle broke out when a herd of wildebeest attempted a perilous river crossing in an attempt to escape becoming prey to predators lying beneath the water’s surface
But just a few yards from the safety of the river bank, a crocodile’s teeth snared one of the 500-pound horned animals. The wildebeest heroically resisted the crocodile’s attempts to drag him underwater while ғɪɢʜᴛing for his life, holding his ground and escaping drowning.
Civil engineer Jun Zuo watched from the banks of the Mara River in Kᴇɴʏᴀ during the remarkable standoff, which lasted for almost five minutes. He said that during their migration, a herd of wildebeests was crossing the Mara River when, regrettably, one of them was snared by a crocodile.
It was a fatal ᴅᴇᴀᴅlock. The wildebeest was securely planted on the riverbed and proceeded slowly toward the river shore, making it impossible for the crocodile to grasp onto it. The wildebeest managed to flee with a wound after the crocodile finally gave up and released his meal.
The 60-year-old from Olathe, Kansas, in the United States, described how the 13-foot Nile crocodile rushed quickly across the water but chose a victim that was too huge and became fatigued as a result of the ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ. He continued that he was astonished to watch such a vicious animal battle for the first time. He held his breath and kept pressing the shutter button on the camera.
The wildebeest’s body had a serious wound, but he managed to live. Since there were other wildebeest bodies in the river, he was unable to say the same for others. Mr. Zuo spent four days in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve while taking the pictures on a safari with six other photographers. The encounter made him realize how harsh nature can be and how many ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛs wildebeests and other animals face in the wild.