Nature and its food chain can be cruel, and tourists visiting Chobe National Park in Botswana witnessed this. When tour guide Desmond Clark and his girlfriend were looking for pictures of wildlife on a safari day, they started the day early, around 6 a.m., and spotted a group of lions that were just finishing their “breakfast”: they were feeding . It was a young buffalo they had hunted.
“It was a special vision, but what followed was extraordinary,” Desmond recalls in a report on the website Latest Sightings. “At that moment a female elephant accompanied by her twin calves a rarity in itself approached the water. Seeing an elephant with twins is very rare. It must have been very difficult for the mother elephant to take care of two small babies at the same time. She had to find enough food and water for both of them and protect them,” he notes.
Unfortunately, the elephant family's thirst has literally led them into the lion's den. Although they had just finished eating, the group of cats became interested in the newcomers and began to approach them.
The elephant, realizing the danger, attacked for the first time, scaring away the lioness who tried to approach him. However, the cats surrounded the mother and twins in larger numbers, which made the situation more difficult. Check out the footage:
Little by little, the elephant tried to lead her twins out of the lions' reach, but as she ran to scare away one of them, she left her cubs unprotected for a moment, which was enough for a fatal attack.
Realizing the danger, the elephant immediately runs to help the boy, but leaves the other vulnerable and the lions attack. The elephant is forced to return and manages to save one of the twins, but the first one to be attacked serves as food for the cats.
“In these moments it is best to understand the situation and remain calm. Any noise can increase the tension. It’s the harsh reality of the circle of life,” Desmond said.