You might take a bullet for someone, but would you take a buffalo?

A man is in hospital after taking the brunt of a charging buffalo to protect someone else, in a remote part of the Northern Territory.

A 61-year-old safari tour guide was attacked by the buffalo about 10:30am on Sunday, around 170 kilometres north-west of Numbulwar.

It is believed the buffalo charged at another man who had fallen to the ground, when the tour guide threw himself between the buffalo and the man.

The tour guide suffered lacerations and suspected fractures, and had to be driven back to town before being flown to hospital.

Clinic staff from the town of Numbulwar travelled several hours to retrieve the injured man, before he was airlifted to Royal Darwin Hospital.

He was flown 600km by Careflight services before arriving at 8pm on Sunday night in a stable condition.

It is not the first buffalo-related incident in the Northern Territory – another buffalo attack occurred in the same area nine months ago.

It is not known which tour company was operating the safari.

It is estimated 150,000 Asian swamp buffalo live in the Top End, with the majority of the population in Arnhem Land.

-ABC