Durban - A mother giraffe who had just given birth had to fend off lions, hyenas, jackals and vultures to protect her calf at the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga.
One by one, the predators tried to capture her calf for their meal but the giraffe stood its ground for as long as it could.
First the jackals slowly ate away at the calf, then the hyenas and vultures, when finally the lions tried to steal her newborn.
Despite her efforts, a male lion was captured carrying the calf away in its mouth.
Freelance guide and compliance officer Stef Botha witnessed the event and shared her story with Latest Sightings.
She said she spent around five hours videoing the giraffe fending off the predators.
"It was such an emotional sighting. Giraffes gestate for about 15 months and to lose a calf so shortly after giving birth must be a terrible experience. The calf must have died during the night and this mother giraffe stood there protecting it the whole night, up until the lions arrived the next morning. She kept a few jackals at bay, a hyena, and for a short while the lions. While she was chasing the hyena, the jackals would come in and feed on the little calf, it was terrible,” Botha said.
"She would bend down to lick the open wound trying to help the lifeless little calf. My heart broke for this giraffe who was just following her motherly instincts.
"At around 11am a lioness arrived on the scene, the mother giraffe still fought her off. It was only after the male lion arrived that the mother decided to give up. Perhaps because her own life was now at risk. As she walked off the male lion grabbed the giraffe calf and headed off into the bush with it,” she added.
Tania Lodder-Kotzé , who also witnessed the kill, said: "Cries of oh and ahh of encouragement were plenty, but in vain.”
IOL