An unusual power struggle took place on the Serengeti savannah, when a lion was chased up a tree by an angry elephant
An unusual power struggle took place on the Serengeti savannah, when a lion was chased up a tree by an angry elephant.
The lioness made the potentially fatal mistake of entering the elephant’s territory, and when she was discovered the grey beast was, quite literally, hot on her tail.
The chase on the Central Serengeti in ended with the lioness stuck in the branches of a tree, with the elephant desperately trying to reach for her from below.
Despite stretching her trunk towards the feline to grab her by the tail, the lion could not reach the lioness, which desperately roared for help.
The tables turned on the lioness when she was separated from a pride of lions that were feeding on a 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁.
The remarkable moment was filmed by husband and wife, Dalida and Andrew Innes, who were visiting Tanzania on a safari trip.
The couple, who live in Sydney, Australia, said they were stunned as they watched the dramatic chase which lasted at least four minutes.
Mrs Innes, 41, said: ‘We were looking at a pride of lions who were feeding on a 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 they’d just made.
‘In the distance there was a herd of elephants surrounding a tree and a lioness was in the tree. She had become separated from the pride of lions we were watching.’
‘All of a sudden the lioness in the tree made a dash for freedom. However, she was not alone as one of the elephants decided to pursue her,’ Mrs Innes added.
‘The elephant chased the lioness for a good kilometre until, in the end, the lioness decided to climb into another tree to escape from the elephant.
‘The elephant then reached up to try and pull the lioness from the tree. In the end though the elephant gave up. Eventually the lioness came down from the tree and was reunited with her cubs.
‘She must have been afraid as she appeared to be stuck in the first tree and afterwards, she seemed to be running for her life.
‘We’re not sure what the elephant was doing maybe she wanted to protect the babies in the herd or perhaps she was trying to prove she was queen of the jungle.’
