Dramatic pictures show a baboon with its arm trapped inside the jaw of a crocodile as it struggled to escape becoming the reptile’s next meal.
The photos were snapped in Tsavo West National Park, Kenya, and show the small monkey putting up a brave fight as it is dragged under the water.
The yellow baboon can be seen on the banks of the Tsavo river – which runs through the park – with its arms firmly inside the croc’s jaw.
It appears to be attempting to flee from it’s predicament as the primate lunges towards dry land seemingly crying out in pain.
The crocodile then pulls the baboon under the water and it appears as though the fight is over.
Remarkably the monkey somehow managed to escape from the water flee the scene before becoming the crocodiles next meal.
It did not leave the fight entirely unscathed as the determined crocodile managed to inflict a nasty gash on the monkey’s cheek.
Nicolas Urlacher, who teaches Spanish in Nairobi, was the photographer behind the terrifying pictures.
The photos were snapped in Tsavo West National Park, Kenya, and show the small monkey putting up a brave fight as it is dragged under the water
It appears to be attempting to flee from it’s predicament as the primate lunges towards dry land seemingly crying out in pain
The crocodile then pulls the baboon under the water and it appears as though the fight is over
The 46 year old Frenchman said: ‘I saw many Baboons in the dry riverbank of the Tsavo river, I saw that there was a baboon in a puddle.
‘I thought how original is this i want to make of a video of this baboon having a bath, this is so unusual.
‘So, I began to film it and after a few seconds I saw that it was very strange, baboons were totally stressed watching this baboon in the water.
‘They began to scream like crazy when he tried to get out of the water, so I thought for one second that it was a big fight between baboons and that this one was escaping from the others.
‘Then I quickly saw that the baboon was not having a bath but was caught by a crocodile.
‘The baboon managed to escape by a miracle, through cunning and patience.
‘What I love most about these photos is, first and foremost, the intense drama they capture.
Remarkably the monkey somehow managed to escape from the water flee the scene before becoming the crocodiles next meal
‘It’s a drama of the harshest side of nature: a baboon with human-like traits falling victim to an animal that seems cold and almost robotic.
‘These are difficult photos to look at, yet they depict a completely normal and natural situation-one we must accept because it is part of the natural order, despite our instinctive compassion for the baboon’s plight.’
The Yellow baboons are native to eastern Africa and can be found roaming on the savannahs of Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
They are among the most successful African primates and are not listed as threatened or endangered.
