A herd of zebras gather at a waterhole for a refreshing drink when suddenly a crocodile grabs one of them in its gripping jaws. Will the zebra be able to free itself from the crocodile’s carcass? This gripping scene took place between Orpen Camp and Satara Camp in Kruger National Park.
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Jantjie Bessenger, 51, Project Control Manager at Phalaborwa Copper, was privileged to witness this extraordinary moment alongside his son, Jan-Hendrik, and daughter, Jannelize. Jantjie kindly told us the story.
“My family and I ate at Phalaborwa gate in the morning to spend the day at the park. We enjoyed a day of sightings and laughter. Sadly, we missed two leopard sightings that my son had told us about, as we chose to ignore him. Later that day, on our return, my son suggested we take a gravel road, thankfully this time we complied.”
“We approached a small waterhole where zebras were coming down to drink. My son commented that the crocodile at the waterhole must be a zebra. We laughed at him, thinking that the hippos would have already taken the crocodile (there weren’t even any hippos!). The zebras started drinking and within 30 seconds a crocodile jumped out of the water and grabbed a zebra by the jaw.”
“There was a huge fight and the crocodile threw the zebra into the water. The zebra stood its ground and kept flying backwards, until it finally dragged the crocodile out of the water. Finally, the zebra managed to escape the crocodile’s grip and fled with its herd. Fortunately for the zebra, it was able to live another day.”
“It was an amazing sighting, in every sense, and it was very real. In my entire life, I have yet to see a real kіɩɩ in the park. This was the closest I have ever gotten.”
“My advice would be to start early in the morning or late in the afternoon, start slowly and observe the general behaviour of the animals. This will allow you to see more than just the usual day-to-day game. Enjoy the park, see everything and appreciate the wildlife to its fullest capacity!”