This is the moment a buffalo who was on the menu for a pride of hungry lions managed to fight back one last time against them.
The lion cub was brutally impaled by the water buffalo as it tried desperately to avoid becoming a meal.
Unbelievably, the impaled cub was hooked on the horn for 20 minutes, in a battle that raged for an hour and a half.
Video: Buffalo herd save friend from lion attack in South Africa
However, the five cubs eventually won the day and the buffalo came crashing down while the victors feasted on their prize.
The entire scene was captured by Roan Ravenhill, 28, who works as a ranger at the Mala Mala Game Reserve, South Africa, who was about 20 metres away for the entire attack.
He said: “There was a fight going on between the cape buffalo bull and a pride of lions and we could see them leaping upon it.
“Suddenly we could see that a young male had managed to get hooked by the buffalo’s horn underneath his left front leg. He ended up stuck there for a good 20 minutes.
“After that time, he managed to get unhooked, but was limping for days afterwards we noticed.
“By a long way, it was the longest battle we have ever seen between lions and a buffalo – it was hard to watch, but that is the reality of nature.”
Top pic: Caters
