Watch the sighting here:
Marcel and Jaime Letts witnessed this heart-wrenching interaction and submitted their video and story to Latest Sightings. They filmed it close to Satara Camp in the Kruger National Park.
What’s going on here?
The pair said they stopped near several cars, curious to find out what they were looking at. Nearby, a wildebeest and her recently born calf were visible.
Moments later, they noticed that a pair of jackals were present, showing a keen interest in the calf. It soon became evident that they hoped to make a meal of the calf.
Tag-team tactics
The Letts said, “It seemed like the jackal were planning their moves strategically because every time the mom would turn around to chase one jackal away, the other would sneak up from behind and take a bite at the calf.”
Not running away
Wildebeest calves are normally able to stand, walk and run with their mothers shortly after birth. However, for reasons unknown, while the calf could stand with some effort, it was too weak to walk. Much less run.
Its plight wasn’t helped by its mother who, in her desperate efforts to see off the jackals, at one point knocked it over.
Relentless onslaught
Facing two aggressors, the mother wildebeest struggled to keep them at bay. Every time she chased one off, the other would dart in and bite the calf.
Consequently, forced to use hit and run tactics, the jackals bit the helpless calf all over its body. As soon as they’d done so, they would retreat before the enraged mother could react.
Whispered encouragement
In the video, we hear the Letts’ whispered encouragement every time the calf got to its feet. Sadly, however, the calf lacked the strength to stay standing for any length of time.
Death by a thousand cuts
As the merciless assault continued, the injuries began to accumulate. Each bite weakened the calf, as each chase tired the mother.
Subsequently, when the calf once more rose, a nasty bite wound was visible on its side. Having tasted blood, the jackals homed their attack on the bleeding gash.
Desperate mistake
With the jackals attempting to disembowel her offspring, the mother became increasingly desperate to chase them off. However, in her frustration, she accidentally threw her calf into the air.
The calf landed heavily, knocking the wind — and much of its remaining strength — from its body. Meanwhile, the jackals again scampered away unharmed.
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Too much
Afterwards, the calf appeared unable to recover. Lying on the ground, it made a pitiful sight as its mother came over to lick the injury on its side.
By now, the Letts had seen as much as they could handle, “After the last blow, we realized that it was more than likely over for the little calf and we couldn’t bear watching the sighting anymore. We drove away and I was in tears.”
Small comfort
As distressing as this sighting was, there is small comfort in the knowledge that, as synchronised breeders, dozens more calves will have survived.
And spare a thought for the jackals. They too need to eat to survive and, as Jaime said afterwards, “The only thing that helped was thinking that the jackal probably also had babies to feed.”