Something interesting happened in the life of this dog. To put it simply, his life was saved by three crocodiles who were being chased by a pack in India.

The crocodiles sympathized with the little dog – Photo: Journal of Threatened Taxa/Disclosure/ND

The images were taken during a study conducted by the scientific journal Journal of Threatened Taxa in August. Scientists have no explanation for the crocodiles’ behavior, but they note that they showed “emotional empathy.”

At that time, they were studying animal behavior in the Savitri River in Mahad, India. While watching the reptiles, they noticed that the flock was chasing a dog and came to the river bank.

After this, the animals headed towards the dog, but something amazing happened. They helped the dog escape from its pursuers.

The dog suffocated, but was saved by three crocodiles – Photo: Journal of Threatened Taxa/Disclosure/ND

The study also indicates that the two reptiles led the dog to a safer shore, away from other dogs.

According to them, the three animals could have easily attacked the dog, but decided to push it to the shore. This means that the hunger instinct was absent.

“The curious case of a dog ‘rescued’ by a group of crocodiles described here seems to be more a matter of empathy than altruistic behavior,” they added.