These incredible photos show moment the zebra went out of the frying pan and into the fire
A plucky zebra thought it was safe and sound after brilliantly darting away from the jaws of a crocodile.
But unluckily it escaped directly into the path of a hungry leopard waiting on the shore.
These incredible photos, taken in Kenya’s Massai Mara nature reserve, show the extraordinary moment the zebra managed to escape from the clutches of a crocodile in the Mara River.
But it was killed by a bloodthirsty leopard after reaching the safety of the shore.
Close call: The zebra almost found itself in the jaws of the croc (Image: Caters)
The croc, despite having failed to catch its prey, then gleefully joined it to share the meal.
The photographs were taken by Ingo Gerlach in August 2015, after he waited for several hours observing animals crossing the iconic river.
Shore: It makes it to land, but doesn’t see that another predator lies in wait (Image:Caters)
He said: “A large herd of zebras were already waiting to cross the river but at this point, the water was swarming with crocodiles.
Dinner: The leopard digs in, accompanied by the crocodile (Image:Caters)
“The zebras spotted them but they had no choice but to cross so after a while they went into the river at a fast gallop – most of them arrived with no problems.
“I saw one get caught but, with its last strength, she managed to rescue herself onto the rocky riverbank and collapsed in shock.
“Just at that moment, a male leopard appeared and, considering its injuries, the zebra had no chance.
“The wild cat attacked its neck to suffocate it and by the time it had taken it down, the crocodile reappeared to share the catch.”