Amazing pics of a Croc attacking a Elephant in Zambia

[Roopak Gangadharan]

Hi
Posting the link to this amazing series. Unbelivable action.Saw this first in the Local daily. PIC-4 is fantastic.Really clash of the Titans.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1330891/Elephant-v-crocodile-The-moment-brave-elephant-mum-shakes-vicious-crocodile.html

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Well fantastic moment. I guess it was a genuine mistake in the Croc's part. The croc is not expected to bring down an elephant. However, sharing an incident from Hindu Mythology, that I used to read in childhood days.

Lord Vishnu had saved an elephant from crocodile attack. The story goes like this. Once upon a time Gajaraja (king of elephants) the elephant was attacked by a huge crocodile when the elephant was in water. Unable to save himself he prayed to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu used his Sudarshana chakra to kill the crocodile and free Gajaraja.

Gajaraja used to be the King Indradyumna who didn't stand up and receive Sage Agastya. So Agastya cursed him to be an elephant. The logic for the curse being that Indradyumna showed the swiftness (or the lack of it) of an elephant in getting up. :-) Similarly, the crocodile was a Gandharva who played prank with a Sage by pulling his leg while remaining hidden. So he was cursed to become a crocodile. Both these two were to get Moksha through this incident (of elephant croc conflict).


Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[V S Sankar]

Stunning pictures Roopak.Thanks for posting the link.

Interesting mythological story by Sabya.I think this is known as "Gajendra Moksha".

But Sabya has to wait for the "moksha" to take effect!

Iam sure when Sage Agastya cursed Indradymna he would have definitely transformed him to be an Indian Elephant!Roopak's story is about an African elephant!

Regards

[Sabyasachi Patra]

There is another similar incident reported in The Telegraph from Kruger National Park where the crocodile caught hold of the trunk of a baby elephant. You can check the link here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8092390/Baby-elephant-attacked-by-crocodile.html

It seems crocodiles do attack elephants when the think there is a chance. I guess the previous incident the crocodile wanted to attack the baby, but got the mother's trunk instead.

Sankar,
In India, we don't get to see these, as only very large mugger can do it. Not the gharials. Also, we should remember that the Hindu mythology is about an era more older than the time when Gondwana land broke up and Africa became separate from India. Fossils of Giraffe, hippos and huge elephant tusks have been found in the Aravalis. So those days, distinct speciation hadn't happened.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi