At Nossob Camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, ground squirrels and a mongoose join forces to bravely take on and subdue an African cobra to safeguard their young in a remarkable display of protection.

Lara De Matos was lucky enough to get videos of this sighting.   Annette Smit   took these incredible photographs and shared the story with LatestSightings.com:

“We were having lunch at Nossob camp after a morning game drive. We were a bit disappointed that we hadn’t seen anything really interesting. My husband was the first person to see activity at the camp near the pool area. We saw the African cobra and the ground squirrels and knew something was going to happen. We grabbed our cameras and set out to get a closer look.”

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“As we approached, we saw the ground squirrels trying to keep the Cape cobra away from their underground burrows, where they raise their young. The squirrels took turns constantly attacking the cobra from different angles. Suddenly, a mongoose appeared and took control. At that point, the ground squirrels rested and watched from the sidelines as the mongoose had its moment to defeat and attack it.”

“After a while, the mongoose retreated, while the squirrels tried to dissuade the cobra. When the mongoose finally returned to attack, the cobra decided it was best to leave the scene. They all followed her to make sure she left for good.”

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“My best photo opportunity ever.”

“For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. I don’t think many people can say they’ve had the opportunity to photograph an interaction like that with all these species on their doorstep at a campsite.”

“Almost everyone at the camp gathered to watch the show and there was a lot of excitement and interaction. It took place over a long weekend and there were lots of parents with their young children. One parent said this was an experience no child gets to have at any school and he felt very privileged that his children were able to experience it. One of the children said it was the best show he had ever seen, better than any cage fight.”

“I am terrified of snakes, but the way the ground squirrels and mongooses kept the snake from moving in any direction reassured me a bit, especially from where we were standing, I felt a sense of security. I was really afraid that either the mongoose or the ground squirrels might get killed, but I later heard that both have a strong resistance to the Cape cobra attack. If someone had told me that before the fight, I would have surely enjoyed it a lot more.”

“We all rooted for the mongoose and the ground squirrels to finish the fight as if nothing had happened.”

“For me, there is no better activity than driving around the fantastic parks of our country (including neighbouring countries Botswana and Namibia) and photographing wild animals. It is therapy for my heart and I wish I could do it all year round. I don’t think we always realise how privileged we are to have all these fantastic parks on our doorstep. I think taking photos for a photographer is like painting for Picasso or making music for Mozart. We are in our own little world trying to create our own masterpieces.”

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