Squaring up as they battle to take control of their herd, this is the moment the two elephants lock trunks in a brutal brawl.
The older animal was challenged by a younger bull to become the dominant male in Amboseli National Park in Kenya.
And though the veteran elephant lost one of his tusks in an earlier battle, he used his experience to win on a swampy battlefield by throwing the young off balance with his trunk.
The encounter was captured on camera by a 35-year-old photographer and owner of the travel Nomadic by Nature travel photography site, Mike McCaffrey.
When he came across the fight, the American, now living in Kenya, was making a 12,500-mile trek through eastern and southern Africa.
Mr. Caffrey explained: ‘Amboseli National Park is one of the most famous parks in Kenya. It is located at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, providing a beautiful backdrop for safaris.
‘Water from Kilimanjaro feeds the marshes and lakes in the park, which attract large herds of elephants and buffalo and makes it feel like the land of giants.
‘I came across these two giant bull elephants at the edge of one of the swamps engaged in a battle for dominance.
‘After a long brutal battle, experience the victory of youth.
‘The older elephant was able to use one of his good tusks to insert it perpendicularly underneath the other elephant’s tusks like a forklift.
‘Then he lifted his tusk and twisted, throwing the other elephant off balance. ”
‘He took some of the blame directly from the younger elephant during the fight but ultimately won when the younger elephant retreated into the swamp.’
And Mr. McCaffrey said he was privileged to see the fight, adding to the experience as exhilarating as it was humbling.
He explained: ‘The animals are so big that everything seems to be moving in slow motion, but when they collide, the sound of their skulls cracking as they collide and the dust flying around makes you understand their speed and power.’
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