Watch the drama here:
Safari guide Emmanuel Sauti witnessed the incident and sent his video and story to Latest Sightings.
Commotion
Sauti said he and his colleagues were driving alongside the river when they noticed a commotion in the water.
In his video, we see an elephant almost completely submerged, behaving in a peculiar manner.
With trunk raised and ears flared, the elephant swam back and forth, apparently disturbed by an as-yet unseen problem.
Out of the depths
After a while, we see the elephant find its feet on the riverbed. Now more mobile, the elephant continues to move around in circles, suggesting that whatever the problem is, it is behind the elephant.
Repeatedly, the elephant dips its head in the water, either trying to see what is bothering it or attempting to grab it with its trunk.
However, regardless of what the elephant does, the mystery remains unresolved. Strangely, the elephant is silent throughout its ordeal.
Reptile revealed
It is only when the elephant makes its way to shallower waters that the source of its frustration is revealed.
Said Sauti, “As the sighting started playing itself out, we were able to identify the culprits. An elephant and a crocodile! I couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions. On one hand, I was a bit scared for the crocodile. I mean, have you seen how big elephants can get?!”
In the image above, viewers can finally see the crocodile. It is hanging on to the elephant’s tail grimly, determined not to let go of its mighty prize. For now, at least.
Bite force
Nile crocodiles bite with a force of over 2200 kilograms, embedding their interlocking teeth firmly into their prey. Once they lock their jaws, prying them open becomes nearly impossible.
Little wonder the elephant was having such a torrid time. The elephant stretches its long trunk but still cannot reach the crocodile, further frustrating its quest for freedom.
Into the shallows
Still unable to dislodge the large croc, the elephant makes for a nearby sandbank. And with this strategy, it finally has relief.
The crocodile is now exposed and at risk, with barely enough water to cover it. Consequently, it does the only sensible thing and lets go of the elephant’s tail.
Free at last!
Finally free, the alarmed elephant walks onto dry land. Head raised and ears spread, it looks about to ensure that there is no further threat.
For that matter, it may well be wondering what on earth had actually happened in the first place.
Why might this have happened?
Realistically, the crocodile never stood a chance of catching and eating the elephant. Even the largest Nile crocodile on record weighed just over one ton.
Elephants can weigh up to six tons and are massively powerful. This is evident in how easily the elephant drags the crocodile.
Also, we can see that the water is muddy. Accordingly, the crocodile can probably not see what it is going after. Crocodiles react to movement and its tiny brain is only doing what over 200 million years have equipped it to do…
Bite now and ask questions later.
And, we can only hope–for the croc’s sake–that it will evolve its strategy going forward. Or, just think better of biting off more than it can chew.