This is the incredible moment a lion stranded on top of a hippo carcass managed to escape by running straight through 40 crocodiles surrounding it. <br /><br />Antony Pesi was on a game drive in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, on May 23 when he spotted the giant carcass floating in a river surrounded by hungry predators. <br /><br />Amazing footage shows that on closer inspection, a scavenging lion also sensing a quick meal was stood on top of the body seemingly unable to escape from the approaching animals. <br /><br />Sensing the need for a quick getaway the brave predator jumped straight into the water and managed to bound clear of snapping jaws to the safety of the riverbank. <br /><br />Antony, 35, said: “It was a really crazy experience. I have been a guide for 15 years and have never seen anything like it. <br /><br />“We arrived in the evening and I saw the hippo just floating there in the river after having apparently died of natural causes. <br /><br />“When we got closer I could see that more than 40 crocodiles had surrounded it looking for an easy meal. <br /><br />“Stood on top of the carcass was a lion who had clearly had the same idea but had managed to get stuck by the approaching crocs. <br /><br />“I assume it didn’t want to stay there any longer while the crocodiles ate the hippo underneath it and so decided it had to escape sooner rather than later. <br /><br />“It looked straight at the crocodiles and somehow managed to escape through all of these snapping jaws and up on to the riverbank. <br /><br />“It looked like it had some minor injuries to its front leg but it could have been so much worse. It was very lucky.”
