Dramatic life and death battle between a crocodile and an elephant in front of stunned tourists

INCREDIBLE footage has emerged showing a life-and-death battle between a crocodile and a baby elephant.

The clip begins with a herd of elephants wading through a river to bathe and drink in Malawi’s Liwonde National Park.

All of a sudden there is a great splash near the front of the group and they all begin to dramatically roar.

The terrified trumpeting is sparked by a huge crocodile attacking one of the smaller elephants as it reaches down to drink from the water.

The deadly predator latches its jaws onto the elephant’s trunk and tries to drag it to its death.

The rest of the herd back away and bunch together in fear as the baby thrashes around, trying to throw off its attacker.

But the elephant is not as small as the croc perhaps thought.

Instead of being dragged under, it drags the reptile back towards the land.

Eventually, the rest of the herd springs into action with several members joining the baby in violently stamping on its attacker.

The crocodile soon lets go, beating a hasty retreat into the reeds.