Baby gazelle killed by cheetah seconds after birth after mistaking predator for mother in a very quick circle of life
THIS was the moment a tiny newborn gazelle was killed by a cheetah - after it mistook the predator for its mother in a very quick circle of life.
Incredible images show the tiny gazelle innocently approaching an adult cheetah just after its birth at Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
Initially, the cheetah appears to to kiss the little fawn on its head.
But it's soon apparent that the big cat was merely toying with its prey, with the gazelle realising its mistake a little too late.
The cheetah swipes at the fawn with its paw before sinking her teeth into the animal's neck.
Wildlife photographer and safari guide Federico Veronesi's captured the moment.
He said: "It shows a side of the cheetah’s psychology that does not often come out. The maternal side and the apparent compassion for its prey.
"What is surprising is how the baby’s instinct to stand up and approach its mother to nurse continued despite the fact that the mother had been replaced by the predator.
"This is unusual behaviour but the little fawn appeared to have triggered the cheetah’s maternal instincts, even though the baby was not her own nor her own species."
Federico, from Italy, has been snapping wildlife photography for almost 30 years.
He was stunned to witness such an unusual encounter.
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He added: "I was captured by the frailty of this creature and upon seeing the cheetah I realised that this fawn’s life would be very short. The harshness of nature.
"When the cheetah appeared in the distance I was sure that if she saw the newborn baby she would certainly come to try to hunt it.
"It’s an easy meal for the cheetah, an opportunity that she would not miss."
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