A herd of wildebeests were being chased by hyenas in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve when one wildebeest turned from the main herd and created its own escape route, albeit a very risky one.
Michael Laubscher of Wild Eye Mara Camp captured video of the wildebeest running straight toward a steep embankment with no option but to jump or turn and fight the chasing hyena.
“It ran straight for the edge, not even hitting the brakes before leaping right off,” Laubscher described for LatestSightings. “It was almost a scene from a movie, as it flew for a few meters before smashing into the bank head-first!”
“The impact was so hard that the adrenaline-filled wildebeest was left completely dazed for a few seconds,” Laubscher continued. “This allowed the hyena to catch up, making the jump almost pointless.
“With the hyena right on top of it, the wildebeest luckily managed to get its footing back and dashed quickly into the water just below. The hyena refused to run in after it, so ultimately, it was the river that saved the day.”
Luckily for the wildebeest on this day, there were no reports of crocodiles.