Lioness Attacks Crocodile to Protect Cubs As They Crossed River [Video]

Amazing footage of a lioness attacking a crocodile has been caught by a photographer in Africa. The lioness went after the crocodile after it posed a threat to her cubs as their pride crossed a river.

Belgian photographer, Pia Dierckx, 48, from Antwerp, had been trailing the pride as they made their way across the desert plains in Africa, and was observing the lioness as she prepared to take her cubs across the river in Botswana.

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However, the waters proved unsafe as a big splash was heard alerting the pride to an unwanted threat.

"I watched a lioness carefully move out into the channel and then there was a huge splash in the water," Dierckx told BPNS.com.

The lioness had spotted the crocodile closing in on her cubs and immediately moved forward to defend them. The lioness could be seen pouncing across the river and onto the crocodile, biting the reptile on the mouth and forcing it underwater.

"Luckily for the lioness the crocodile did not have an opportunity to do the death roll because her mouth was kept closed between the front legs of the lioness," Dierckx added.

The battle was over quickly as the crocodile quickly retreated, and the lioness then went back to her cubs to take them safely across the river as originally intended.

"It was only after checking my pictures on the camera viewer that I really realized what I had witnessed. Luckily the story had a happy ending because all the lionesses and cubs made it safely to the other bank," Dietckx said.

A similar incident that happened previously where lionesses attacked a crocodile can be seen in the video below: