Watch the emotionally-charged sighting here:
Visitors to the Kruger National Park witnessed a tragic story unfold when a newborn giraffe was unable to get to its feet. Over two days, the grief-stricken mother first stood by helplessly until her calf passed.
Then, adding to the drama, she bravely tried to fend off various scavengers attracted by the possibility of an easy meal.
Tania Lodder-Kotzé and Stef Botha sent the images and information to Latest Sightings.
Joy turned to sadness
Lodder-Kotzé was travelling the S25 when she came across a distressed female giraffe. It was then that she noticed the baby giraffe lying on the ground, apparently unable to stand.
Despite encouragement from the mother, every time the calf attempted to stand, it would fall down, leading Lodder-Kotzé to conclude it may have been injured at birth.
Already, scavengers were aware. A lone jackal prowled nearby and vultures began to circle.
Didn’t survive
The next day, Stef Botha arrived to find that the calf had died overnight. He spent five hours on site, recording the grim proceedings as various predators arrived to scavenge.
Black-backed jackal
The patience jackal who had been lurking since the previous day, was rewarded when it was first to sample the carcass.
Unwilling to accept her calf’s death, the giraffe repeatedly chased it off, only for it to return again and again.
Spotted hyena
Next to arrive was a lone hyena. While larger than the jackal, it too was weary of the mother giraffe.
Meanwhile, more vultures arrived; patiently awaiting their turn at the inevitable feast.
With her foal dead, one might ask why the mother stayed by its side. One can only assume this was maternal instinct, where the instinct to nurture had not yet yielded to self-preservation.
Lioness
Subsequently, perhaps drawn by the scent of fresh meat, a lioness arrived. However, it too was wary of getting too close to the agitated mother.
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The giraffe in turn seemed to sense that her calf’s body was now in serious jeopardy. As such, her belligerence against the new arrival was more pronounced.
For its part, the lioness increasingly frustrated by the giraffe as her efforts to get at the meat were thwarted.
Flying hooves
To defend themselves, giraffes lash out with their long legs. The weight of the hoof combined with huge momentum means that a well-placed blow could do serious damage.
Male lion
With the arrival of a mature male lion, capable of single-handedly bringing down the female, the scales now tip out of the giraffe’s favour.
In fairness, she did make some bold advances which caused the lion to retreat.
Surrender
However, a short while later, she had to concede defeat. After a long vigil, she was possibly to tired, hungry or thirsty to stay.
No sooner did she begin to move off, than the lion moved into claim the carcass.
He single-handedly dragged it under a shady bush and began to feed, leaving all who’d witnessed the events to contemplate the cruel beauty of Mother Nature.
Getting emotional
It is hard not to attach human emotions when witnessing Nature unfold. Lay people often question why humans don’t intervene when doing so might save a life.
Of course, were authorities to do so, it may imperil other animals by depriving them of much-needed sustenance. For instance, we don’t know if any of the scavengers had young of their own needing a meal.
With the occasional exception of injuries due to human-induced factors, e.g. poaching snares, it is best to let Nature find its own balance, so that ecosystems can function optimally.