This heartbreaking video shows how a newborn Giraffe dies after a struggle for survival against an hungry Lioness.

While the little one is learning to walk, it is being relentlessly hunted by the predator. The mother of the baby cannot protect her child from the attack.

In the video, captured in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy of the Masai Mara, Kenya, the mother and calf are seen being pursued for over 6km by the lioness.

The 10-hour-old calves are forced to run indefinitely after being separated from their herd.

The mother panicked by the fear of losing her baby to the riverbank ends up pushing her offspring on a steep slope.

Footage shows a newborn giraffe and its mother being mercilessly hunted down by a lioness in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy of the Masai Mara, Kenya

Footage shows a newborn giraffe and its mother being mercilessly hunted down by a lioness in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy of the Masai Mara, Kenya

Heartbreaking video shows the newborn giraffe being grabbed by the lioness after it is accidentally pushed down a cliff by its mother as she tried to protect it

The heartbreaking footage shows the newborn Giraffe being grabbed and protected by the Lioness.

However, the calves are too weak to get back up and they eventually fall prey to the lioness. She then attempts to drag them away. The giraffe, who has little left of its strength, lies helpless in the jaws of the animal.

The mother is determined not to lose her baby, so she fights back against the big cat and allows the calf back to go for water. 

The giraffe is now too tired to continue after being released from the clutches of its predator. It collapses, and then drowns several hours later.

Don Heyneke (wildlife photographer) captured the sighting while on safari at Olare Motorogi Conservancy. Rustom Frmjee, Safarinut Safaris’s Safarinut Safaris representative also took this photo.

Don (30) said that a female giraffe had given birth to a baby. Within 30 minutes of being born, the baby giraffes can walk without much effort and within 10 hours they are running.

'The calf lay down and at this point stood no chance against the apex predator who took the opportunity to grab the calf and carry it towards the water'

“The calf laid down, and there was no way against the predator at the top who grabbed the calf from the ground and carried it to the water.”

Determined not to lose her child, the mother fights back and wards off the big cat, allowing the calf to get back up and head for water

Willing to not lose her child, she fights back. The big cat is stopped by the mother, which allows the baby to go back to water.

“Unfortunately, for this young calves, a hungry Lioness (or Hyena) showed interest in it right after its birth.”

“The interested lioness was following the giraffe with her calf but the hyenas lost interest quickly, and the lioness had to follow the herd for more than 6kms (four miles).

“The mother of the newborn calf knocked it over multiple times while she tried to flee from the lioness.”

“After walking six kilometers, the baby giraffe, who had never had milk before, and the mother giraffe reach an end caused by a riverbed. Their lioness approaches them thinking that this will be the final episode of an already intense series.

‘The mother tried to protect her calf from the lioness and panicked – accidentally bumping the new-born down a cliff.

'To everyone's surprise, it stood up but not for very long as the calf ended up finding safety in the river where it fell asleep from exhaustion,' said Don

Don stated that the animal stood tall to the surprise of everyone. However, the calf was able to find safety in the river and fell asleep due exhaustion.

Now out of the predator's clutches, the giraffe appears too exhausted to carry on. Several hours later it collapses and drowns

The giraffe is now free from the clutches of its predator and appears exhausted. It collapses, and then drowns several hours later.

“The newborn calf had become stuck in the riverbed. The mother ventured outside to try to pull it out, but it wasn’t strong enough to scale the bank.

“The calf laid down, and there was no way to stop the apex predator from grabbing the calf. He carried it toward the water.

“The mother tried her best to save her newborn calf. She chased away the lioness multiple times, and we believed that the calf had died at this stage.

“To everybody’s surprise it held up, but only for a short time. It eventually fell asleep in exhaustion and found refuge in the river. With a fierce fight for survival that was unlike anything seen, the baby giraffe drowned.