Buffalo herd rescues baby elephant from attacking lions

Jan. 30 (UPI) -- A safari-goer in South Africa captured unusual footage of a buffalo herd stomping to the rescue of a baby elephant that was being attacked by a pride of lions.

The video, captured June 23 by Jill Mathews and posted to YouTube by Kruger Sightings, shows what happened when Mathews' safari group left Punda Maria camp and came across some animals at the nearly-dry Klopperfontein Dam.

"We were in shock and disbelief as a baby elephant emerged alone & unprotected, from bush the bush. The pride of lions ambushed the baby and pounced!" Mathews wrote.

"From the waterhole, a group of buffaloes herd the commotion and decided to come and investigate. Buffaloes and lions are eternal enemies of the wild, so when they saw the lions, they weren't happy," Mathews wrote. "The buffaloes decided they wanted the lions out of there and proceeded to chase them away."

"One by one, all the lions escaped and the little elephant got up and ran for his life," she wrote.

Mathews said the lions made a second attempt on the baby elephant's life, but the scene was obscured by a bush and she and her husband were not able to see how the situation turned out.