Mother giraffe tries in vain to defend its one-day-old calf from a lioness… but cannot stop the ruthless predator feasting on its newborn
- Photos were taken in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Park by IT worker Srikanth Santhinathan, 29, from India
- They show the mother’s desperate attempt to ward off the threat by kicking her legs out at the attacker
- The mother tried to wake the baby giraffe but it had died after having its neck broken by the strong lioness
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Dramatic pictures show the moment a mother giraffe tries in vain to defend its one-day-old calf from a lioness.
The mother and baby giraffe are chased down before the predator pounces on the baby and savagely breaks its neck to feast on it in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Park.
Other images show the mother’s desperate attempt to ward off the threat by kicking her legs out towards the attacker.
However, tragically her calf met a grizzly end as the lioness devoured her kill beneath the grassland reeds. The six-foot, 150-pound baby giraffe didn’t stand a chance of survival after being ambushed by the muscular 400-pound big cat.
The scene was captured by IT worker and part-time photographer Srikanth Santhinathan, 29, from Tamil Nadu in India, on a Nikon D750.
Dramatic pictures show the moment a mother giraffe tries in vain to defend its one-day-old calf from a lioness in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Park
This long distance shot shows the lioness approaching the mother and baby as they make their way across the grasslands in Kenya
Images show the mother’s desperate attempt to ward off the threat by kicking her legs out towards the attacker. Sadly the baby giraffe could not be saved
‘One morning we watched the large giraffe and noticed the lioness stalking it from behind. And just two minutes later the baby giraffe was gone,’ said the photographer.
‘The mother tried to kick away the lion but unfortunately she was not able to, the neck of the giraffe was broken by the pounce of the lion.
‘And after that the lion went in again and started eating the baby while the mother giraffe ran away and we just watched the lion eat the baby for almost twenty minutes.’
Young giraffes have a mortality rate of just 50 per cent in their first six months. Once they reach adulthood however, only the bravest of lions attempt to hunt adult giraffes, so this hungry lioness opted for only the baby instead.
Tragically the calf met a grizzly end as the lioness devoured her kill beneath the grassland reeds. The six-foot, 150-pound baby giraffe didn’t stand a chance of survival after being ambushed by the muscular 400-pound big cat
The scene was captured by IT worker and part-time photographer Srikanth Santhinathan, 29, from Tamil Nadu in India, on a Nikon D750. Here the mother tries to kick the lion away
A giraffe’s neck allows it to keep an eye out for predators, but babies are incapable of this. Srikanth, with his camera, was 50 feet away from the action
‘One morning we watched the large giraffe and noticed the lioness stalking it from behind. And just two minutes later the baby giraffe was gone,’ said the photographer
The mother tried to kick away the predator but unfortunately she was not able to and the neck of the giraffe was broken by the pounce of the lion
A giraffe’s neck allows it to keep an eye out for predators, but babies are incapable of this. Srikanth, with his camera, was 50 feet away from the action.
‘I get a lot of messages on Facebook about this photo saying, ‘why didn’t you save the baby giraffe?’ But photography is not about interfering with nature, things go how things go and whilst it is sad, we should also respect the ecosystem,’ he added.
‘My emotions were mixed, one out of love for the giraffe but one of understanding for the lions. As the lioness who was five-to-seven years old had her cubs to feed.
‘The mother tried to wake the baby giraffe, but it was not responding. Based on the skin tone from the knowledge of my guide, he sadly confirmed that it was one day old.’