An injured bird with a broken wing managed to fight off a lion looking for an easy meal.

Alissa Thakker, 20, was on a safari through Maasai Mara national reserve, Kenya, when she came across a grey heron nursing a hurt wing.

Dramatic footage that has been viewed more than 11 million times shows a male lion approach the bird having noticed it wouldn’t fly off, trying to get a closer look at a possible snack.

Suddenly the heron snapped its beak forward forcing the lion to lunge backwards and walk away with its tail between its legs.

Alissa said: “I have never seen anything like this before, it was definitely a unique and rare sighting.

“The grey heron was injured, unsure what caused the injury but seems like its left wing was broken.

“The lion was in the same area as the heron, and was curious about it.

“As it got closer, it saw the heron did not fly away unlike all other birds that the lion may have encountered before.

“This prompted the lion to get really close. As self-defence, the grey heron snapped at the lion, which scared it off. When the lion backed away, the grey heron snapped again.

“The lion backed away and went to sleep very nearby.

“It served as a gentle reminder to simply coexist. The grey heron was given the chance to truly confront death in the eye, and see the lion as more than just a predator.”