A baby elephant was eaten alive by a pack of savage hyenas as its helpless mother was forced to watch after they both became stuck in a mud pit on the plains of Zimbabwe.
The mother was forced to watch as the hyenas killed and devoured her baby at Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe
She tried to save the youngster by hurling mud over her head, but was unable to scare off the predators. She is pictured here throwing the mud to scare off vultures that are picking at the baby’s rotting corpse
The mother elephant slowly starved to death as she watched hyenas eat her baby and vultures pick at its corpse
The hyenas also ripped off the baby elephant’s leg as they mauled it to death while it was stuck in the mud
The mother pictured desperately rearing her head and trunk as she remains stuck in the pool in Zimbabwe
Distressing pictures from when he first found the stranded pair show the mother and baby desperately lifting their trunks in the air as they remain stuck in the mud pit as hyenas patrol nearby.
‘For the mother to see and hear the noises at night as the hyenas kill her baby – I imagine that was actually very upsetting.’
The mother and baby pictured together a few hours after they were found on a morning game walk. Hyenas were nearby
The mother pictured with her baby (circled) shortly after getting stuck. Hyenas were seen circling the stricken pair nearby
The mother slowly starved to death as she remained stuck without food and water. She was also in the full glare of the sun
Vultures pictured perched on top of the mother and waiting around her before she died in the pool in Zimbabwe