Emotional: Monkey shows undiluted love to her collapsed offspring

Photo Credit:Avinash Lodhi

A mother's agony has been captured in a stunning image of a monkey clutching her collapsed offspring.

The monkey, appearing to be wailing as it holds the limp body of her baby, was photographed in Jabalphur, India, by 31-year-old Avinash Lodhi.

A happy moment was later captured after the youngster appeared to make a full recovery.

Avinash said: 'This picture is very close to my heart because throughout my entire photography career I have never seen anything like this.'

It was taken in Madhya Pradesh, in central India, and Avinash said: 'It was so quick I didn't even know what was happening when I took the picture but as soon as I confirmed the image I was silent for an hour.

'This moment is rare, especially with animals.'