This adorable set of pictures shows a pride of lions cuddling up for a family photo at a wildlife park in South Africa.
In one of the cute images the largest male lion is lying with his eyes closed while a female and another male rub their faces against him and a younger animal climbs on top.
Meanwhile in another picture the animals strike a more menacing pose with the leading male baring his teeth while the female gazes watchfully ahead.
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Jihad Adnan, the Lebanese photographer who took the pictures, said he was expecting the big cats to fight but was delighted by the heartwarming display he saw.
The 37-year-old, who has been a nature photographer since 1999, snapped the images at a lion park in Johannesburg, saying: ‘I saw the lions getting close to each other so I thought they would fight.
‘But suddenly, after the lioness came with her cub, they started licking each other. I felt the love between them – the lion in the middle is the one saving this family.’
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