This is the heartbreaking moment a helpless baby monkey clung onto its dead mother as her lifeless body hung from a leopard’s mouth.

The tiny vervet monkey refused to let go of its mother after the predator pounced at South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, despite putting itself in grave danger.

The youngster was also eventually killed by the leopards – led by a female known as Olimba – during the hunt on October 14.

The heart-wrenching moment was caught on camera by wildlife photographer Shafeeq Mulla from Chipata, Zambia, who said: ‘Nature is not always pretty and this picture definitely shows us the harsh reality of life.

‘To have a sustainable environment, animals need to die for others to survive.’