After this lioness was gored by a buffalo, she was left with a gaping wound. Incredibly, rescuers saved her life by performing emergency surgery right in the middle of the African Savanna.

What’s more, they also saved the life of her cubs. The 11-year-old lioness had given birth just weeks before receiving the near-fatal wound. If she died, her babies also would’ve perished.

Luckily, the lioness’ home is the Massai Mara Nature Reserve in Kenya. Reserve staffers teamed up with the Kenyan Wildlife Trust to perform one of the most daring and epic animal rescues I’ve ever seen.

A word of warning — the video is graphic and can be difficult to watch.

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It’s unbelievable that this team was able to perform a successful surgery out in the open. This little family could’ve fallen apart, but the rescuers’ tireless work saved the day.