Elephant Saves Injured Lion From Hungry Hyenas
Malorie Thompson
A remarkable moment was captured on video that shows an elephant saving the life of an injured lion.
The incredible moment unfolded at Kruger National Park in northeastern South Africa, one of Africa's largest game reserves.
Photo: The park is home to the Big 5 (lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalos), along with hundreds of other species, like hyenas.
When a pack of hyenas slowly approached a lion, who was unable to flee or fight back due to injuries, things seemed like they'd take a gruesome turn. However, something incredible happened. An elephant stormed up and chased the hyenas away!
The elephant saved the lion's life by scaring away the hungry hyenas and the whole thing was caught on video.
Photo: According to the World Wildlife Fund, elephants are the world's largest land animal, weighing around 13,000 pounds on average. It's no wonder they're one of the most dangerous animals on the safari!
One interesting thing about elephants is that they never forget. things As the WWF shares, "elephant's temporal lobe (the area of the brain associated with memory) is larger and denser than that of people - hence the saying 'elephants never forget.'"
Perhaps the elephant in the video recalled a time when a lion helped it out, or maybe it remembered a hyena being vicious! Either way, it's incredible to see the massive animal look out for a fellow injured animal.
Photo: 
Photo: Hyenas are definitely cut out for the hunt and an injured lion likely wouldn't stand a chance against a group of them.
The Wild Tomorrow Fund refers to hyenas as intelligent, adept hunters. Their jaws and teeth are powerful, allowing them to crush bones and eat the marrow - an added nutritional boost when pickings are slim! It's not great news for their prey, though.
Thankfully, this injured lion gets the chance to live and see another day and it's all thanks to her elephant friend. You can see the elephant helping the lion in the video below:
How incredible is that?
