These heart-stopping pictures show the moment a baby hippo was thrown into the air as it was mauled to death after getting caught up in a fight between two adults . The helpless five-day-old hippopotamus was seen being hurled into the air after it strayed into the firing line of an adult male , which was tussling with its rival . The calf 's mother watched in horror as the hippo was flung into the air before being dragged along the surface of the water in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park , in eastern South Africa . Scroll down for video . Shocking : A five-day old baby hippopotamus is lifted up into the air as it gets caught up in a deadly fight between two adults . Deadly : The calf was dragged along the surface of water and died hours after the tussle , with its mother looking on in horror . The calf 's mother watched in horror as the hippo was flung into the air before being dragged along the surface of the water in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park , in eastern South Africa . The two male hippos had been fighting for some time and the mother of the calf stayed with her herd , possibly believing it safer to stay out of harm 's way herself . Her decision proved fatal for the baby when one of the brawling adults grabbed the calf between its jaws . Stacey Farrell , a 30-year-old tour operator for Shoreline Hippo and Safari , looked on with horror as the calf was caught up in the deadly fray . She said : 'For hours she chased away the sub-adults and younger hippos from her little baby as I believe she knew they would be too rough . Rivals : The two male hippos had been fighting for some time and the mother of the calf thought it would be safer to remain with her herd . Stacey Farrell , a 30-year-old tour operator for Shoreline Hippo and Safari , looked on with horror as the calf was caught up in the deadly fray . The baby stood no change against the two adults as they brawled in the muddy waters of the nature reserve . 'Sadly , as she closed her eye one of the sub-adult hippos grabbed the young calf . Whether intending to kill it or a bit of play or possibly jealousy gone wrong we 'll never know . 'The mother tried to get the baby back but with the young calf in the sub-adult 's mouth there was n't much she could do . 'She attacked the hippo on the neck which forced the sub-adult to bite down harder and then suddenly flicked the baby in the air . ' The hippopotamus died of its injured hours later .
Five-day-old hippopotamus calf mauled to death after straying two brawling adults in South Africa . Helpless calf was hurled into the air as its mother looked on in horror , with the young hippo dying hours later . Adult hippos had been fighting for hours before attacking the baby in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park .