HORRIFYING pictures capture the moment a zebra has a hole torn in its side as it tries to escape a gigantic crocodile.
The images, captured in the Masai Mara National Reserve in western Kenya, show the animal’s insides spilling from its stomach as it wrenches itself free and dashes from the water.
Pictures show a zebra as it is attacked by a gigantic crocodileCredit: Mediadrumimages/ShazmeenHusseinBank
The zebra’s insides can be seen pouring out as is scrambles from the waterCredit: Mediadrumimages/ShazmeenHusseinBank
The huge crocodile still has part of the zebra in its jaws as it climbs onto the bankCredit: Mediadrumimages/ShazmeenHusseinBank
The images were captured in the Masai Mara National Reserve in western KenyaCredit: Mediadrumimages/ShazmeenHusseinBank
It is later seen scrambling up a steep riverbank before keeling over and dying.
The sequence was captured by Kenyan wildlife photographer Shazmeen Hussein Bank, 33.
He said: “It was 1pm and we were sitting on the banks of the Mara river in November.
“Several zebras are hanging around looking like they want to cross. They come down and begin drinking water.
“Suddenly, I notice a croc in the water coming towards one zebra.
“Zebras are clever. They notice these things due to years of crossing the Mara river.
“But somehow this one zebra is standing neck deep in the water and this croc is coming for it.
“All is quiet for several moments and then the loudest splash of all ᴛι̇ɱe and suddenly the death roll begins.
“This zebra was going to going to go down from the sheer size of that croc, but it was like he gave a life lesson in the process and that was: everything is worth fighting for.
“[It] escaped, ran out of the water partially dead, made it to the bank and fell down.”
‘THIS IS NATURE’
For Shazmeen, the encounter was as spectacular as it was grisly.
“When I got back to camp and processed the whole moment I realised I was beyond excited,” he said.
“We left the zebra on the banks and came back the next morning and it was gone.
“Nature had a meal ready for the next animal in need of a good meal for its survival.
He admits he agonised over whether to publish the gory photographs or not, but says he wanted to showcase the reality of the natural world.
“This is nature. This is real. This moment will stay with me forever,” he said.
“I hope I get to experience ɱaпy more like this because it might not look roɱaпtic, but this is why it’s called wildlife.
“As a photographer, these are the moments that make it so worth sitting in the sun anticipating something will happen.”
The croc grabbed the zebra when it came down to the water for a drinkCredit: Mediadrumimages/ShazmeenHusseinBank
The ɱaп who took the photo said the zebra proved ‘everything is worth fighting for’Credit: Mediadrumimages/ShazmeenHusseinBank
The zebra could be seen bleeding badly as it fledCredit: Mediadrumimages/ShazmeenHusseinBank
It tried to clamber up a steep bank before falling down and dying