Heartbreaking moment baby monkey clings to dead mum as lion sinks teeth into her blood-soaked body (Watch)

In a heartbreaking twist, the most poignant fate befalls the bravest little

This is the heart-breaking moment a baby monkey clung onto the corpse of its mother in the jaws of a lion before another lion finished off the infant animal.

The brutal reality of nature was laid bare at South Africa‘s Zimanga Private Game Reserve as the 400-pound lion caught and devoured the mother monkey in less than a minute.

Striking photographs show the baby monkey desperately clinging onto the body of its mother, which dangles limply from between the jaws of a lion.

The actions of a second lion in the pride sees the little monkey lose its grip on its bloodied mother and tumble helplessly to the ground.

Moments later,  the defenceless animal is scooped up by another predator and killed.

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A baby monkey desperately clings onto the body of its mother, which dangles limply from between the jaws of a lion. Blood can be seen covering both the mother and its child as the lion keeps hold of its catch

All of a sudden, a second lion attempts to claim a share of the male lion’s catch, causing the helpless baby monkey to fall from the relative safety of its mother

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Defenceless, the baby monkey is soon scooped up as an easy snack by a younger member of the pride of lions and is killed

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