Although supreme on land, lions sometimes find themselves outside their comfort zone when forced to cross rivers, especially during the rainy season. This is the time when the king of the jungle must go on the defense.
The video above shows what happened in such a case. In this rare footage, we witness a young male lion crossing the Sabie River in South Africa’s Kruger National Park when a crocodile sees a good opportunity to strike.
Almost as soon as the lion entered the river, the hungry reptile spotted it and quietly swam up behind it. The crocodile stuck its teeth into the cat’s back and tried to submerge the lion in the water momentarily.
Fortunately for the large lion, however, it was quick enough to break free from the seemingly uninjured crocodile’s jaws and swim to safety.
Unlike jaguars and water-loving tigers, lions often prefer to be on land – but that doesn’t mean they can’t swim. Lions will venture into the water if the situation calls for it, like when they’re chasing prey or need to cross a river, but as this encounter has demonstrated, it can be very risky.
This particular cat will probably think twice before going into the river next time.
Watch full video here: