Watch the sighting here:
Don Heyneke and Rustom Framjee sent their footage and account of the drama to Latest Sightings. The incident took place in Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Kenya.
Bittersweet joy
According to the pair, the calf was just hours old when encountered. In the shadow of its proud mom, it has the world at its feet.
Or does it? For, trailing nearby are a lioness and several hyenas.
Maternal instinct
Naturally, the mother giraffe does her utmost to protect her calf. While leading it from danger, she kicks out whenever the predators get too close.
However, after fleeing for 6 kilometres, the pair accidentally find themselves cornered on the steep bank of a river.
Panic sets in
Eager to keep her calf safe, the mother makes a fatal mistake. While trying to edge it to safety, she inadvertently nudges it over the edge of the riverbank.
Risking injury to herself, the mother follows her calf into the riverbed.
Fallen
Next, we see the calf lying on the slope, apparently unable to stand. Unbeknown to the viewer, the lioness has also followed.
Moments later, it attacks the stricken calf.
Grabbing it by the throat, it looks like the calf is quickly dispatched as its head hangs limp.
Seemingly, the drama is at an end as the lioness drags the calf into the riverbed.
Not done yet
However, before the lioness can begin feeding, the mother returns and chases it away from her inert calf.
As she bends to inspect it, the calf blinks slowly. It is alive!
Whether or not the mother realises this, she is determined to keep the lion away.
For its part, the lioness is not ready to surrender either, returning when the mother moves off. Surely she will feed now.
Miracle!
The next scene defies belief. Against all odds, the calf is on its feet. Wobbly on its legs, it makes its way to the water.
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But why?
What it does next is truly strange behaviour. Presumably in shock, it wades into the water.
Meanwhile, nearby, both the lioness and the mother are watching. And watching. And watching.
Heartbreaking finale
As if the poor calf hadn’t endured enough, the next scene shows the calf hunched in the water as the heavens open.
As time passes, it seems unable to hold up its neck which repeatedly bends backwards.
Eventually, the combination of trauma and exhaustion is too much. The calf appears to collapse and its head disappears beneath the surface, never to be seen again.
Is Nature Cruel?
Scenes like those that play out in this video can play on our emotions. Naturally, we want the calf to survive.
To see it rise from a lion attack, only to drown from exhaustion seems cruel, even wasteful. As far as we know, there were no winners in this instance.
We want to ‘blame’ someone or something. But who? The lion, for hunting? The mother, for pushing her calf over the embankment? The calf, for going into the water? The people, for not intervening?
In truth, there are no easy answers. Nature just is. Things don’t have to make sense any more than we can expect all human behaviour to have a purpose.
All we can do is impartially observe, hoping that something we see will improve our understanding of its complexity.