A lone lioness shows her determination - single-handedly felling a towering giraffe . The desperate predator looked to be getting in difficulty as she struggled to take down the tall animal . But the reason for her tenacity soon became apparent as she had precious cubs to feed . Scroll down for video . Determined : Incredible pictures show a lone lioness bringing down a towering giraffe all by herself . The lioness eventually locked on to the giraffe 's throat to kill it . At first the predator looked to be getting in difficulty as she struggled to take down the tall animal . The dramatic scenes were witnessed by researcher Brent Stapelkamp in Hwange National Park . The lioness locks its teeth on the giraffe 's leg , the animal already visibly wounded . Brent Stapelkamp , a 37-year-old researcher , saw the dramatic tussle in Hwange National Park , Zimbabwe . The lioness refused to let the giraffe escape despite the danger she was in . The determined cat had been chasing the giraffe , which can grow to six metres tall , with its pride . But the other lionesses were distracted by a passing warthog and chose to chase the easier prey instead . This picture shows the lioness pursuing the giraffe across the dusty savannah . At first the lioness had some help from other members of her pride , but they quickly ran off in pursuit of a passing warthog - far easier prey . The lionesses are dwarfed by the giraffe but are in desperate need of food . The lioness refused to let the giraffe escape despite the danger she was in . The giraffe finally collapses on the ground after the epic struggle . The exhausted giraffe finally relents , lacking the energy to stop the lioness going for the kill . Brent said : ' A giraffe 's kick can easily kill a lion so we were desperate that her pride come to help . 'Two one-year-olds came and followed her but added no help . 'The killing bite is to the throat but she had to bring it down first so chose the bite the chest , eventually causing the giraffe to fall . 'It fell in top of her and we gasped because we have lost lions like that before , but as it rolled off , she was out and at the throat . 'Only later did we see that she had fresh suckle stains on her teat meaning she had new cubs hidden and waiting for a feed . 'This explained her tenacity . '
Epic encounters between lioness and giraffe in Zimbabwe caught on camera . The lioness was pictured attacking the animal in Hwange wildlife sanctuary . Predator was very lucky to kill as a kick from a predator would be lethal .