Few sights in nature are as heartwarming as a mother with her young. Whether it’s a giraffe gently guiding her calf or a rhino keeping watch over her little one, these moments show the deep care and protection that exist in the wild.
In this new collection, photographer Joe Neely captures these bonds between mothers and their babies in their natural habitats. His images offer an intimate look at family life in the animal kingdom, reminding us of the beauty and tenderness found in nature.
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#1
“Mawenzi and Temba are watching over each other. You can see how strong their bond is.
Fun fact: Giraffes have hair-covered horns called ossicones, but only males use them (for fighting each other).”
Image source: jmneelyphotography
#2
“Mother and baby giraffe in the Maasai Mara national reserve in Kenya.”
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#3
“Wild horse mom smells her 1-day-old newborn baby.”
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#4
“Males aid in the protection of young when they are a part of a nursery band; otherwise, the mother is the main source of protection.”
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#5
“Baby fallow deer getting spit bathed by mom.”
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#6
“Wolf pup and family member.”
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#7
“Momma and baby zebra are carefully watching me walk by.”
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#8
“It’s springtime in Lamar Valley.”
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#9
“Moose and their babies like to hang out around the highways because there is a much lower risk of predation. Good for everyone as long as you drive slowly.”
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#10
“A mother and two twins. What an amazing sight. Elephants are by far my favorite animals, and I did not get to spend enough time with them.”
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#11
“While on a canoe, we came across many hippopotamuses. Here is baby hippo snoozing with mom in the shade. Lake Naivasha is beautiful, and I highly recommend a canoe tour so you can get at eye level with these beautiful animals.”
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#12
“Snuggles… lioness was just trying to relax, but the cub wanted attention.”
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#13
“Grizzly mom playing with one of her cubs.
Fun fact: A grizzly can be 3-4 feet in height when it is on all four legs. It can be up to 8 feet tall when it stands on its hind feet. Although grizzly bears are large animals, 75% of their diet is comprised of berries, leaves, and nuts. They also like to eat fish, rodents, and moose.”
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#14
“Badger mom watching over her babies as they play around their home in Yellowstone.
Fun fact: A badger’s home is called a sett.”
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#15
“Beautiful cheetah mother with her two cubs. This was the last thing we saw, and we could not have been happier. A successful safari in Kenya.”
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#16
“A baby rhino weighs 80 lbs at birth and stays with its mother for 3.5 years.”
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#17
“Mamma showing kid the ropes.”
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#18
“Sometimes the wildlife comes to visit us at home… they were very skittish.. collard peccary.”
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#19
“Wild filly nuzzling her momma.”
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#20
“Salt River wild horses. While the parents are very caring and protective, they are also very tolerant of humans.”
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#21
“Baby fallow deer nursing.”
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#22
“Mother and her babies are looking for a safe place to hide for the night.”
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#23
“Elephants in Amboseli National Park headed back to the forest before sunset. It gets really dusty in Amboseli, in fact, the name means ‘salty dust’.”
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#24
“Baby elephant nursing at an oasis in the dry, hot deserts of Amboseli.”
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#25
“Owls will furiously defend their nest from predators by digging their talons into the intruder with the force of 500psi.”
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#26
“Baby bison keeping up with mom into the setting sunlight.”
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#27
“In the jungle-like environment of Lake Nakuru National Park, there are believed to be fewer than 20 lions as of 2018, and we had the opportunity to meet one of the mothers and her single cub.”
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#28
“Mom and baby Moose nose boop.
Fun fact: Moose are huge.
Real fun fact: In the Algonquin language, moose means eater of twigs.”
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#29
“Black bear and her cub.”
Image source: jmneelyphotography
#30
“Harris’s Hawk siblings.
Fun fact: A group of hawks is called a Cast. Harris’s hawks are social birds that live and hunt in groups. Their social nature gives them strength in numbers, and they can easily give alarm calls to warn others and harass their potential predators such as coyotes, ravens, and the great horned owls.”
Image source: jmneelyphotography
#31
“Baby baboon peeking out from underneath her mother.”
Image source: jmneelyphotography
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