Maasai Magic: Crocodile Destroys Gazelle In Vicious Attack

In September this year, photographer Frank Liu visited the Maasai Mara in Narok County, Kenya where he unexpectedly captured the incredible moment a lurking crocodile snapped its prey in half.

After observing four crocodiles for just 10 minutes, the 25-year-old freelancer was fortunate enough to witness the action unfold.

He said: “The whole event lasted for a little less than a minute – but the flipping of the gazelle happened in a matter of seconds.

“The croc flipped the gazelle for a total of three times along with the famous crocodile death roll, before splitting the gazelle in half so that it could swallow.

“The other small croc by him ended up successfully taking the other half of the gazelle which fell out his mouth when it was split.”

Frank could not believe what he was seeing at the time of the attack, but he had to remain focused in order to give justice to the action.   

“While the croc was destroying the gazelle I felt joy, not from watching the gazelle being violently torn in half, but from pure enjoyment of living in the moment and witnessing nature at its finest,” he said.

“From that point onward my focus shifted toward adjusting my camera settings, composition and capturing the moment.

“It was only after we left the site that a heavy feeling sank in and lasted for the rest of the day.

“I do recognise it is part of nature, so I was more in awe that I was able to witness the scene with my own eyes.”

Frank journeyed through the Maasai for seven days and managed to photograph some of the other amazing wildlife.

He said: “We spotted a pride of lions and moved closer in for a shooting distance – these two male lions woke up from their naps, yawned, stood up and walked between our vehicles.

“We also followed a mother cheetah, of three, as she was scouting for her next prey amongst a herd of gazelles. Her young ones were playing hide and seek where one would keep hiding behind or under our car.

“But my favourite photo from this project is the one with the escaping wildebeests on the burnt soil land – I love the simplicity of this photograph.”

Frank surpassed his initial goal of achieving three “special” pictures in this particular set.

“My family were very happy to see the original photos I brought back from the trip, but I haven’t showed them my final pieces yet,” he added.

“I am hoping to surprise them with framed prints eventually so they can place them around their home.

“My next project will most likely be opening a blog to share some of the behind-the-scenes stories from this wildlife experience.”

To follow more of Frank’s work, follow him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/frankliuphotography/?hl=en