A group of hungry vultures were photographed circling an unassuming jackal hoping to take a bite of a calf carcass.
A lone jackal tried to take a bite of a calf carcass when an upset group of vultures approached it
The series of images show the moment a lappet-faced vulture with its eight-foot-wide wingspan took on the lone jackal
Other shots show how the jackal turned to face the large vulture head on during the battle
But the bird used it’s wingspan and large talons to intimidate the jackal as it ate the calf carcass
The photographs were taken at the Boteti River, Botswana, by business owner Bridgena Barnard from Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
The photographs were taken at the Boteti River, Botswana, by business owner Bridgena Barnard from Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Barnard, who captured the images with a Nikon camera, called the images a ‘typical scene of the food chain’
After the initial encounter with the one vulture, it appeared that several others joined in to attack the jackal
‘Jackals are very nice subjects, they’re feisty and create scenes for a person to take nice action shots, they’re always up to something.’
There are five species of vultures in Botswana including, lappet-faced, white headed, cape griffon, hooded and white-backed
Vultures are frequently seen waiting for animals to finish feasting on a carcass before swooping in to pick the bones
Barnard said of the scene: ‘The jackal pulled the carcass from under the bush onto the sandy river bed and the vultures followed and the rivalry of who feeds followed’