A herd of buffalo embarked on a revenge mission against a lion in these thrilling action shots as they cornered the hapless beast after he had killed one of their gang.
The incredible images show the lion, trapped between the marsh and the deadly herd of sharp-horned buffalo, attempt to hide by lying on the ground before the buffalo approach to charge him.
The lion, knowing he is in imminent danger, suddenly leaps from the ground and flees from the buffalo that have him outnumbered and outmatched.
The amazing encounter was captured in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya by Eric Baccega.
Leap of faith: The lion narrowly evades the herd of buffalo as they charge him in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Calm before the storm: The lion lies in the grass after he had had killed a buffalo which was trapped in the mud of a marsh
Exposed: A lioness who had helped kill the buffalo swiftly fled but the lion was surrounded by the herd
Spotted: The lion lies down on the ground to hide himself but the buffalo scent him and begin to charge him
Danger: The lion seems rooted to the spot while the buffalo come closer as the herd moves into formation
He said: ‘A lion and lioness had killed a buffalo which was trapped in the mud of a marsh but unfortunately I missed this episode.
A bit later, a herd of buffalo arrived. The lioness swiftly fled but the lion was caught in a trap between the marsh and the herd.
‘The lion lay down on the ground to hide himself but the buffalo scented him and approached to charge him. The lion leapt and fled to take refuge a bit further into the marsh.
‘Protected by the mud of the marsh, the buffalos couldn’t reach him. We had to leave them at this point because it was the end of day, after 7pm.
‘Regulations dictated that we had to return to our camp, as we had already stayed out later than we should have. The next morning we found the lion near the marsh but the herd of buffalo had disappeared.’
The African buffalo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. The adult buffalo’s horns are its characteristic feature; they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head referred to as a ‘boss’.
They are widely regarded as very dangerous animals, as according to some estimates they gore and kill over 200 people every year.
Other than humans, African Cape buffaloes have few predators aside from lions and large crocodiles, and are capable of defending themselves.
Spotted: The lion attempts to hide by lying down in the grass but it is no use as the buffalo advance on him
Getting hairy: Two of the buffalo move ahead of the herd and bear down on the lion who remains trapped by the marsh
Almost there: The buffalo at the front of the herd jostle for position as they approach the terrified lion
Face to face: The buffalo at the front of the herd point their noses at the lion and get ready to pounce
Got to go: The lion makes his escape as the herd of buffalo attempt to trap him by the side of the marsh
Safety: The lucky lion watches on from a safer distance after evading the buffalo by jumping into the marsh
Lucky: The lion is seen the following day after the photographer returned and found the animal still near the marsh