This is the incredible moment a lion stranded on top of a hippo carcass managed to escape by running straight through 40 crocodiles surrounding it.
Antony Pesi was on a game drive in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, on May 23 when he spotted the giant carcass floating in a river surrounded by hungry predators.
Amazing footage shows that on closer inspection, a scavenging lion also sensing a quick meal was stood on top of the body seemingly unable to escape from the approaching animals.
Sensing the need for a quick getaway the brave predator jumped straight into the water and managed to bound clear of snapping jaws to the safety of the riverbank.
Antony, 35, said: “It was a really crazy experience. I have been a guide for 15 years and have never seen anything like it.
“We arrived in the evening and I saw the hippo just floating there in the river after having apparently died of natural causes.
“When we got closer I could see that more than 40 crocodiles had surrounded it looking for an easy meal.
“Stood on top of the carcass was a lion who had clearly had the same idea but had managed to get stuck by the approaching crocs.
“I assume it didn’t want to stay there any longer while the crocodiles ate the hippo underneath it and so decided it had to escape sooner rather than later.
“It looked straight at the crocodiles and somehow managed to escape through all of these snapping jaws and up on to the riverbank.
“It looked like it had some minor injuries to its front leg but it could have been so much worse. It was very lucky.”
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