Photos show elephants almost crushing a hippo in the waterhole

A series of photos shows the heart-stopping moment a mother hippo saves her baby from being crushed by a giant elephant.

While on safari at Erindi Game Reserve, Namibia, photographer Quintus Strauss came across a newborn hippo playing with its mother and stopped to take a photo.

The elephant, photographed in Namibia, can be seen approaching the baby hippo, raising its foot to squash the tiny creature
The baby’s mother snaps into action, opening her devastating jaws towards the angry elephant. Photographer Quintus Strauss said he thinks the hippo managed to bite the massive beast on the trunk
The cow (female hippo) knocks the elephant off balance with her ferocious bite, and the giant stumbles in the water
The baby’s mother snaps into action, opening her devastating jaws towards the angry elephant. Photographer Quintus Strauss said he thinks the hippo managed to bite the massive beast on the trunk
The angry elephant then plunges down to crush the helpless calf, using his trunk like a hammer. Luckily the youngster escapes

Within minutes, Quintus heard an angry elephant approaching the underwater hippo.

When starting to capture this scene, the photographer from Hoedspruit, Mopani, Zambia, witnessed the mother hippo come to the rescue and began to fight the giant mammal.

Thankfully, the mother could protect her baby and successfully fought the elephant – causing pain on its upper trunk.

Quintus said: ‘On the first day, early in the morning, we went to play games and returned to the motel for breakfast.

‘The restaurant overlooks the dam, and there was a hippo with a newborn.

‘After breakfast, I went to my room which also overlooked the dam, and uploaded my pictures from the morning.

‘Then I heard the elephant trumpeting and the water splashing, so I went to the balcony and saw the elephant chasing the mother hippo.

Before the elephant tries to crush the baby he chased the mother. Realizing the sheer size of her opponent, the cow scoots off up the hill
Undated photograph of the elephant looking at the calf after it first chased the mother hippo from the watering hole
The elephant before trying to crush the baby hippo. Thankfully, the mother was able to protect her young and successfully fought the elephant off – leaving it in pain on its upper trunk
The hippos sharing an affectionate moment before the massive elephant interrupted

‘I went back, took my camera, and went out again and saw the elephant walking up to the baby and splashing it – then crouched down to take a closer look.

‘The mother hippo came back and got into a fight with the elephant – it protected her baby, and the elephant was injured in its upper trunk.

‘I think the hippo’s teeth got him.

‘Things were calm after that, and mother and baby went their own ways..’

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