A baby elephant was killed and eaten by spotted hyenas as its mother lay helplessly a few meters away – stuck in the mud of a rapidly-drying pan during the height of the 2019 dry season in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe. The mother died days later, probably due to dehydration, despite rescue attempts by park officials.This gruesome display of how harsh life can be for Africa’s wildlife occurred just days before two baby elephants were rescued from a muddy pan – by the same photographer.The mother and her baby elephant became stuck in the mud while trying to find water, and hyenas soon started circling. The hyenas attacked during the night and killed the baby by eating into the flesh via the spine – the only exposed part of the baby’s body.
This may seem ‘cruel’ to some observers, but reflects the reality for many individual wild animals that suffer a violent death. And the circle of life goes on – that clan of hyenas extracted the sustenance they needed to feed their clan members and to continue playing the essential role that they play as scavengers and apex predators. Read more about spotted hyenas here.October 2019, and Mana Pools National Park was at the height of the dry season, after an extended drought.
This is ‘suicide month’, and the mercury regularly rises to the mid-forties Celcius. The animals of Mana, already pushed to the brink of survival, must eke out an existence before the arrival of the rains.
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