Watch a pelican struggle for 15 minutes to swallow a catfish in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park. Will it succeed? Find out in this incredible footage captured by Wild Eye’s Michael Laubscher.

Even after being caught by a pelican, this catfish wasn’t ready to become an easy meal. So, it struggled inside the pelican’s throat!

Michael Laubscher, a Wild Eye guide, captured this incredible footage in the Amboseli National Park, Kenya, while on safari. Michael shared the footage and his story with LatestSightings.com.

After stopping at a large pool of water for a while, the group had no luck with any large mammals, but were entertained by a variety of waterfowl. The birds were wading in the shallow water and looking for something to eat when suddenly they all scattered and flew away for a moment.

Searching for what caused the change in behavior, the group noticed two very large birds landing and heading toward the shallow waters of the pond. Michael, the guide, identified the two birds as pelicans!

The two pelicans began sifting through the shallow water when they came upon a sharp-toothed catfish (barbel). It was an easy catch, and the big bird scooped it up with ease, scooping up the helpless fish in its beak and then shifting it into its gular pouch.

This pouch on a pelican has many uses, from acting as a fishing net to serving as a storage bag for transporting fish to its young, and even on hot days as a means of cooling the bird.

Even though the pelican’s pouch can hold up to 11 liters of water, the fish it had just caught was still too big! The pelican struggled as it tried to position the fish so that it could easily slide down its throat and into its hungry belly.

All this time, the other pelican was watching this and thought that instead of catching his fish, maybe he could swoop in and steal one that was already caught. But the first pelican wasn’t going to give up without a fight. So, he moved in again and tried to swallow the fish quickly before the second pelican could steal it.

However, this large, slimy fish struggled in the pelican’s pouch, making it nearly impossible to swallow. Every time the pelican lined up for it, the fish would squirm and slide out of place.

After an incredible 15 minutes of struggle and frustration, the pelican had had enough! He rose from his position in the water, making sure to be precise in his movement. He positioned the large catfish in place and, in one quick gulp, swallowed the fish whole before it could escape or his friend could steal it.

Pelicans primarily eat fish, but they are not picky and will also eat crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs. Pelicans need plenty of food to stay healthy, and they are excellent at finding fish in lakes, rivers, and even oceans.