Nature’s Justice: Brave Cow Elk Defends Calf, Overpowers Mountain Lion in Epic Showdown of Survival

Wow…

This is that truly once-in-lifetime experience that you will talk about for the rest of your life.

Mountain lions are some of the most ferocious creatures out there, a well-earned reputation as the silent killers of the woods. They say that if you see one, it’s already too late… it definitely saw you first.

These cats are fast, strong and able. They can run up to 50 mph in a jolt and jump up to 40 feet in on leap. The shoot to kill and go straight for the necks of their prey latching on with their powerful bite as they disable them.

And mountain lions LOVE the deer family. Anywhere there’s deer within the mountain lion range, you can probably a danger kitty pretty close by. Elk are a little on the large size, but their calves are just perfect.

Elk can grow up to 1,000 pounds while mountain lions only up to 175 pounds, so the size difference might seem pretty unfair, but mountain lions have been known to go after mature bull elk, not just calves.

But these cats will go for the small, injured or weak anytime the opportunity presents itself… anything to make it easier, right?

These folks caught the unimaginable on camera while out for a hike in Montana.

A mountain lion is seen holding onto an elk calf in the full death grip.

Just when it appears to be all over for the calf, the cow elk goes full mom mode and absolutely gives the beatdown of a lifetime to the big cat. The lion holds on to the calf for dear life and takes every blow the mom can dish out.

It’s unknown what happened to mountain lion or the calf, but both laid there motionless following the ground and pound, and with the kind of force behind the blows, it looks like the lion may be seriously, if not critically, injured. And for the calf, it looks like mama didn’t make it in time…

The things that go on out there in the wild… just insane.