This is the heart-breaking moment a buffalo mother risked her life in a courageous attempt to rescue her calf from the jaws of lions.
But maternal instinct kicks in and the buffalo mum immediately rushes to her young’s side, putting her life on the line as she places her body between the lions and her baby.
The mother would kick, block, and charge as she tried to save her baby, who was first pounced on by a lioness
Photographer Salome Hoogendijk, 30, who took the incredible snaps in the Duba Plains in Botsawana, said the lioness had chased the baby buffalo away from its mother and their herd
Maternal instinct kicks in and the buffalo mother immediately rushes to her young’s side, putting her life on the line as she places her body between the lions and her calf
But then the herd of lions split up and one attacks the mother while the other sets its sights on the now-vulnerable baby buffalo.
She acts as if she is going to charge towards the lions and for a moment it seems as if her rescue attempt could win the day
But then the herd of lions split up and one attacks the mother while the other sets its full attention on the now vulnerable baby buffalo
The mother fights with all her might, still attempting to kick off the predators and reach her young even after one lion jumps on her back
‘She tried her hardest with kicking the lions off but they were just too strong for her,’ said Ms Hoogendijk. ‘She couldn’t protect herself and her baby at the same time’
The buffalo’s desperate last attempt wasn’t enough and her calf falls prey to the lions. All she can do is watch as the kings of the jungle devour her baby, fighting for their share of the kill
The female lions try and protect their kill from the hungry male. ‘It was incredibly heart wrenching to watch the struggle between the two buffalo but it was so touching to see the mother buffalo put her life on the line for her baby like that,’ said Ms Hoogendijk
The male lion is victorious and ends up with the kill. Ms Hoogendijk said the mother buffalo’s courageous fight, which lasted around 20 minutes, shows that ‘even animals love just as much as humans do’
