After waking up to a ruffled royal mane, this jungle monarch seems to have a bad hair day. This lion was captured at the Glen Garriff Conservation near Harrismith, South Africa, with his luxuriant hair flying in all directions and appearing as though he had just gotten out of bed.
While patiently waiting for the ideal opportunity, Simon Needham took the photos as the largest male in the conservation awoke from a cat nap.
The photographs Simon waited patiently for show the lion, Tonga, appearing somewhat less than royal.
I shoot for numerous animal charities; this image was taken for GG Conservation in South Africa to help them market themselves for fundraisers, said Mr. Needham, who manages the Instagram feed @human.kind.photography.
When Tonga finally awoke from his siesta, he appeared absolutely out of it, so I had to take a picture. He briefly appeared bewildered and hazy before shaking it off, which made me giggle.
