Wolf (Canis lupus)

[Sully]

Wolf vs moose: Mother fights tooth and nail to save newborn from killer's clutches in the Alaskan wilderness
By Damien Gayle
Published: 10:59, 7 May 2013 | Updated: 15:19, 7 May 2013



These incredible pictures show the scene as a titanic life-and-death battle unfolded between a mother moose defending her calf and a ravenous pack of wolves.
The enormous moose dwarfs her attackers in this thrilling sequence of images taken in the Alaskan wilderness as they attempt to kill her newborn.
As she makes her stand in a small pond in the chilly tundra the mother fights ferociously to save her youngster from the hungry predators.

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Life-and-death struggle: This mother moose charges at a wolf as she desperately tries to defend her week-old calf from becoming lunch

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Surrounded: But as more members of the pack arrived, the situation became increasingly desperate for the beleaguered mother and child

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Grave danger: The nervous calf hides by his mother's side as the ravenous pack of wolves enters the pond where they she is making her stand

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Savage nature: The water splashes beneath her huge frame as the mother moose launches an attack on the first hungry wolf to stray too close

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Fury: A wolf is caught in the tumult as the moose stamps down with her hooves, causing water to fly all around her

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Attack from all sides: But even as she sees of one wolf, another slips into the waters behind her to prey on her child

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Mortal combat: The wolves slink into the water as the mother and her frightened child wait for the onslaught
 


She uses all her strength to try and repel the attack, charging and pounding at the carnivores with her hooves.
But despite her desperate efforts the persistence and skill of the hunting Grant Creek wolf pack was just too much and her baby was finally dragged away.
Patrick Endrews, a wildlife photographer from Alaska, watched in awe as the action unfolded before his eyes in the Denali National Park.

The 45-year old said: 'When exiting the park about 8pm, after a very slim day of photography, we stumbled upon a cow moose defending her calf from a lone wolf.
'Her success at chasing off the wolf was quickly challenged when five more of the pack showed up, and absolute organised chaos broke out as the pack strategically lunged at the one week old moose calf.
'Back-lit in a small tundra pond, the cow moose charged, stomped and splashed. Water was flying everywhere as the wolves attacked them from all angles.
'It was a real-time spectacle of nature unfolding before our eyes. The calf sought protection under the mum's belly, as she chased off the pack with her deadly hoofs.

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Fury: A close-up shows just how close one of the wolves comes to being squashed beneath the moose's lethal hooves

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Fearsome: Sensing that this could be her child's last moments, the desperate mother fights on all sides to try to beat off the wolves

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Inevitable conclusion: Despite her bravery, however, she is unable to match the numbers and cunning of the wolf pack and they eventually start sinking their teeth into the youngster

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Not giving up yet: She warns one of the predators by delivering a stout kick to its head with her rear leg

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No hope left: Eventually she gives up the fight, as the pack manage to kill the week-old calf and subsequently drag him away for their dinner
'But the wolves were cunning and relentless and over time they dragged the calf away from the mother.
'It was amazing how many times, after thinking the calf was surely dead, it got back up again once the mother fended off the attack.
'Besides frantically photographing and cheering on the cow moose in her vigilant defence, the odds of survival were obviously slim, and in the end, the wolves were successful in the kill.
'It was a scene of mixed emotion, adrenalin and lots of shutter clicks. I've heard of similar predator-prey encounters from colleagues over the years, but I've never had the chance to see one myself.
'After nearly 30 years of visiting the park, I guess my turn finally emerged. The attack lasted about 10 minutes from the time the wolf pack surrounded the moose until they killed the calf and dragged it to the tundra.'

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