This is the dramatic moment when a mother elephant fought off a pack of hyenas attempting to attack her young calf. The struggle began as the dog-like mammals pounced on the baby elephant when it became separated from its mother. Six of the hyenas launched themselves onto the calf’s back in an attempt to bring it down, prompting the mother to swing into action.
The furious mother elephant stampeded towards the vicious creatures with such force that she left several trees uprooted in her wake. The huge elephant kicked out her feet and swung her trunk at the pack, which quickly scattered. She then returned to her calf, which had its tail bitten off during the encounter.
The brutal encounter was witnessed by a group of stunned tourists, who were willing the mother on to victory. Guide James Weis, of the tour company Eyes on Africa, was leading the group of visitors in the Linyanto bush in Botswana at the time. James, 50, from Chicago, said: ‘We were out in three vehicles when we heard the shrieking of an elephant. ‘We went to investigate and found a small group of two large females elephants and two calfs. ‘A pack of about 18 hyenas were trying to make inroads on the calf.
‘They waited for the baby to come into a clearing and then two or three rushed at it. ‘When the mother chased them off the larger pack tried to attack the calf. It wasn’t alone for more than 10 seconds when the mother returned and was even more annoyed. ‘They were playing a dangerous game because had one hyena got in the way of her it would have been flung through the air like a beanbag. ‘She charged after the pack and was knocking over trees like they were matchsticks and the hyenas fled and scattered in a cloud of dust kicked up by the mother. ‘The baby had its tail bitten off, but was alright. It is fairly common to see elephants in Africa with no tail. ‘It was quite a dramatic thing to watch.’
“… and stay out!” The last hyena flees the scene with its tail between its legs.
