The odds were against a baby elephant when a pride of 14 lionesses banded together to attack the little one that was separated from its herd. The courageous youngster managed to fend off the attackers as the stunning video, captured at the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, shows.
The lionesses surrounded the baby elephant by the water's edge and, one by one, tried to claw and bite him. At one point, two of the big cats were on the elephant's back and tried to subdue it.
The youngen kept his guard up. He kept moving so the lionesses would not overpower him and he used his familiarity with the water to his advantage. He also managed to kick away one of the lionesses when she tried to climb onto him. At some points, the brave elephant managed to charge at his attackers.
When the lionesses were finally a safer distance away from him, the little elephant reared his little trunk and tusks in defiance and escaped the huntresses across the water where most of them were hesitant to follow.
In one final act to cement his victory, the baby elephant made a last rush toward the lionesses and scared off even the bravest of them.
The incredible scene was witnessed and captured on video by visitors who were touring the park.
"In the many years I have been a safari guide in Zambia at the South Luangwa, never have I seen anything like this. We were all so worried the elephant would be killed right before us. What a fighter. It fought off all 14 lions. Incredible," Innocent, the guide for Norman Carr Safaris who was there to witness the incredible fight, said.
The baby elephant has been named Hercules for his tenacity and bravery and has since been reunited with his herd.
