An inconsolable baby elephant sobbed for five hours after he was rejected by his violent mother.
The adorable newborn, called Zhuangzhuang, wept uncontrollably when he was separated from his mother for his safety by zookeepers after she tried to stomp him to death.
Little Zhuangzhuang was inconsolable
Zoo officials hoped it was an accident when she initially stepped on him after he was born at a wildlife park.
But after they treated his injuries and returned him to her two hours later, they were horrified to witness her attack him again.
Rejected by his mother and taken away, the traumatised little elephant heartbreakingly cried for hours, and refused to be comforted by staff.
Zhuangzhuang wept uncontrollably when he was separated from his mother
A zoo keeper explained to CEN: "The calf was very upset and he was crying for five hours before he could be consoled.
"He couldn’t bear to be parted from his mother and it was his mother who was trying to kill him."
Thankfully, Zhuangzhuang has now been adopted by the keeper who saved him at the Shendiaoshan wild animal reserve in Rong-cheng, China.
"They have made a good bond," said a spokesman for the zoo.
"We don’t know why the mother turned on her calf but we couldn’t take a chance."
Infanticide can be attributed to stress causing factors like overcrowding and captivity which can interfere with animals’ protective instincts towards their young.