South African safari guide and wildlife photographer Mike Dexter captured a tragic incident involving a mother giraffe and a lioness in Masai Mara, Kenya. In his series of photos, the mother giraffe, in a state of panic, kicked wildly to fend off the lioness, inadvertently injuring her own calf.

Realizing that the newborn giraffe, only a few hours old, had little chance of surviving the forceful kick, the lioness wisely retreated to a safe distance, waiting for the calf to succumb. The mother giraffe, helplessly watching her baby slowly die, tried to revive it but to no avail. She eventually had to leave her baby behind, but every 20 meters or so, she looked back at her dying calf.

Mike spent several hours observing the mother giraffe and her newborn calf as it took its first steps on the grassland. According to Mike, the giraffe and her baby were moving quite slowly when the lioness suddenly appeared from the tall grass about 50 meters away.

“I didn’t think the lioness would attempt an attack because adult giraffes are known for their powerful kicks that make predators wary. Perhaps she decided to take a chance,” Mike recounted.

As the lioness approached the calf, the mother giraffe swung her legs and kicked fiercely. The baby giraffe, although still alive after the kick, had a broken neck. The mother giraffe then continued to chase the lioness but was unable to catch up.

Mike’s photos vividly depict the harsh realities of life on the African savannah, capturing the profound grief of a mother giraffe inadvertently causing the death of her own baby.