New images captured by Indian photographer, Srikanth Santhinathan, depict the intense moment when a mother giraffe fought in vain to protect its one-day-old calf from a lioness in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Park.
The sequence of photos captured the moment when a lioness chased down the mother and baby giraffe. The mother fiercely kicked out at the predator, but the lioness managed to pounce on the baby giraffe, cruelly breaking its neck to devour it.
While an adult giraffe’s neck serves as a lookout for predators, the same protection is not available to the vulnerable babies, making them easy targets for wild cats.
“One morning, we observed a large giraffe being stalked by a lioness from behind. Within minutes, the baby giraffe disappeared,” explained photographer Srikanth Santhinathan who documented the incident.
The mother attempted to fend off the lion’s attack with kicks, but tragically, she was unable to prevent the fatal blow to the giraffe’s neck by the lion’s forceful pounce.
“Subsequently, the lion resumed its attack, consuming the baby giraffe while the mother fled, leaving us to witness the lion’s feast for nearly twenty minutes,” Santhinathan added.
“I receive many messages on Facebook asking why I didn’t intervene to save the baby giraffe, but photography does not involve interfering with nature. Events transpire naturally, and while it is sorrowful, we must also respect the ecosystem,” he further commented.
My emotions were mixed: sadness for the giraffe but also sympathy for the lions, especially considering the lioness, being five-to-seven years old, had cubs to feed.
“The mother tried to rouse the baby giraffe, but there was no response. Based on the skin tone, as per my guide’s expertise, it was confirmed that the calf was only a day old,” he revealed.
View more photos below…
