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.
Life-and-death struggle: This mother moose charges at a wolf as she desperately tries to defend her week-old calf from becoming lunch
Surrounded: But as more members of the pack arrived, the situation became increasingly desperate for the beleaguered mother and child
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
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
Fury: A wolf is caught in the tumult as the moose stamps down with her hooves, causing water to fly all around her
Attack from all sides: But even as she sees of one wolf, another slips into the waters behind her to prey on her child
Mortal combat: The wolves slink into the water as the mother and her frightened child wait for the onslaught
‘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.
Fury: A close-up shows just how close one of the wolves comes to being squashed beneath the moose’s lethal hooves
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
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
Not giving up yet: She warns one of the predators by delivering a stout kick to its head with her rear leg
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.