Elephant versus Hippo

Wildlife photographer Rian van Schalkwyk captured the spectacular scene as he watched the animals grazing at a safari park in Namibia. They say a mother will do anything for her child – even if it means putting herself in harm’s way. This fully-grown hippo was flipped several feet into the air as she stood her ground against an aggressive elephant bull, giving her calf time to scamper to safety. Amazingly, the mother emerged relatively unscathed from the attack, apparently suffering nothing worse than a little gash on the side of her body and a rather bruised ego. The scene was captured by wildlife photographer Rian van Schalkwyk, 40, at the Erindi Private Game Reserve in Windhoek, Namibia. (Photos by Rian van Schalkwyk/Barcroft Media)