Wading tentatively into the water, the brave mother lioness spots a potential threat to their chances of crossing the river safely.

Wading tentatively into the water, the brave mother lioness spots a potential threat to their chances of crossing the river safely.  

Baring down upon the dangerous obstacle, the big cat reveals her enormous fangs and prepares herself for battle. 

Without hesitation, the protective lioness risks life and limb to protect her cubs, using her explosive power to spring from the water and attack the threat blocking their passage, head-on. 

Awaiting the lionesses’ offensive, the threat – a large crocodile – comes to blows with the big cat as the two predators clash in mid-air. 
Clamping her front legs around the crocodile’s jaws, the deadly crocodile can only adsorb the lionesses’ powerful blow. 

 

 

Receding back into the water after a bloody encounter, the crocodile was unable to lock-in the death roll and admitted defeat. 

 

 

Seizing her moment while the reptile is under the water, the lioness makes a break for dry land. 

Blink and you’d miss it, but wildlife photographer Pia Dierickx, from Antwerp in Belgium, caught the remarkable clash on camera.
 The 48-year-old, who had been observing the lioness and her pride before the incident, said the struggle took place within one second.
She said: “I watched a lioness carefully move out into the channel and then there was a huge splash in the water.

“The sequence of six pictures of the real action were taken in one second.
“It was only after checking my pictures on the camera viewer that I really realised what I had witnessed.”
Emerging safely on the other side of the river, the defiant lioness scouts for her pride. 

Re-joining the rest of her pride, the diversion tactic was a complete success, as her cubs were able to cross the river in safety. 
Pia said: “Luckily the story had a happy ending because all the lionesses and cubs made it safely to the other bank.”

However, after the crocodile clamped its jaws around her mouth, the lioness was left bleeding. 
According to Pia, the crocodile swam away after the incident which disturbed an otherwise peaceful day at the Okavanga Delta.