A drink at a watering hole turned into a life or death struggle for this young elephant after a crocodile clamped onto its trunk.

The jumbo was drinking at a lake in Liwonde National Park in Malawi when the beast leapt out of the water.

At first the rest of the herd backed off as the elephant shook its trunk back and forth in an attempt to dislodge the reptile.

The jumbo was drinking at a lake in Liwonde National Park in Malawi when the beast leapt out of the water

But then another member of the herd came to their companion's aid, charging down the crocodile and knocking it back onto the ground.

The video was uploaded onto YouTube last Tuesday by Alexander Makanga, who was born in Malawi but now lives in the UK.

The biomedical scientist watched the extraordinary confrontation from a boat in the river.

He later wrote online: 'I did not realise the severity of the situation until I had finished recording. Absolutely insane. This happened just few metres from the boat.'

But then another member of the herd came to their companion's aid, charging down the crocodile and knocking it back onto the ground