During a visit to South Luangwa National Park in Zambia last October, photographer Shafeeq Mulla accidentally captured a moment that made many people feel sad. It is a picture of a dead mother monkey, being held in the mouth by a leopard. Meanwhile, the baby monkey still hugged the mother’s body, determined not to let go. In the end, the young animal was killed by Olimba, a leading leopard.
Although the photos were taken a few months ago, the photographer has just posted them. “Nature is not always beautiful. And this photo shows us the harsh reality of life. In order to have a sustainable environment, small, vulnerable animals often have to die so that the stronger ones can survive. at”, photographer Mulla shared his opinion.
He said that although he was very sympathetic to the moment unfolding before his eyes, he could not intervene to avoid breaking the laws of nature.
Last year, a similar scene was captured by photographer Hendri Venter in the Zimanga nature reserve in South Africa. That was the moment a lion weighing about 180 kg grabbed the body of a mother monkey. Meanwhile, her child, not knowing what happened, still hugged her mother tightly.
South Luangwa National Park, located in the valley of the Luangwa River, is a world-famous wildlife haven. This place was established in 1972 with an area of about 9,050 square kilometers, in eastern Zambia, and is currently home to more than 60 species of mammals and more than 400 species of birds. Among them, the most famous are African elephants and large buffaloes. In the lagoons of the park, the number of hippos is quite abundant, lions are also relatively common.
Currently, this national park has no fence and is bordered to the west by a steep cliff, to the east by the Luangwa River. The Luangwa Valley is located at the end of the Great African Rift Valley system, which extends 4,000 km from the Red Sea down to the mouth of the Pungwe River in Mozambique.
Visitors can visit this place at any time of the year, but the dry months (May to October) are considered the best time to visit the wildlife world. That’s when many animals tend to congregate in water bodies such as rivers and lagoons, making them easier to observe.