The moment when a heroic buffalo came to the rescue of a damsel in distress after the cow came under attack from two lionesses.

The lions had initially stalked a buffalo calf and the mother had charged at the lions to save her young one, but found herself outnumbered during the battle in Okavango Delta in Botswana.

Photographer Wim van den Heever describes how he watched the lions attempting to take down the cow a number of times, but that she was finally ‘saved’ by a bull from the herd.

In a dramatic turn of events, a protective macho buffalo steps in, scaring the lions away and nearly mauling the injured lioness to death – saving the mother’s life.

Mr van den Heever said the lioness crawled out of the mud and died two days later.

Wim, 43, said: ‘The bull came and chased the female lions off the mother buffalo, trying to injure them.

‘Luckily they escaped, but while he chases them he sees the injured female lion and really finishes her off, by mauling her and pushing her into the mud. I’ve never witnessed anything like this.’

Pick your battles: An attacking buffalo headbutts a lioness during the fierce battle in a river delta in Botswana

Outnumbered: The female buffalo had stepped in to protect her calf from the hungry lionesses, but found herself under attack

Come at me bro: The lionesses had initially stalked and injured a buffalo calf in Okavango Delta in Botswana

Launch: The lionesses went after the calf and its mother as they grazed with the herd of buffalo

Two against one: After catching and injuring the young buffalo, the calf’s mother came to its rescue

Bad move: Despite her heroic efforts to save her young one, the female buffalo soon found herself outnumbered as two lionesses attacked

Futile fight: The buffalo was attacked several times by the hungry lionesses before she was ‘saved’

Struggle: One of the lionesses jumps into the back of the buffalo as other animals watch on

Saving grace: In a dramatic turn of events, a protective macho buffalo steps in, scaring the lions away from the female

Time to go: The lioness appears to realise that the tables have turned as she makes a run for it

Hit: The male buffalo charges at the lioness, mauling it with its horns, and dragging it in the mud

Ya filthy animal: One of the lionesses emerges from the water covered in mud and injuries

Fatal injuries: Mr van den Heever said the lioness crawled out of the mud and died two days later