When a lion tied down another male in an apparent attempt to mate with him, a surly lioness looked on, annoyed. Now that’s gay pride!
Russ Bridges, an amateur wildlife photographer, recorded the spectacle at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster.
The images show one of the male lions approaching his mate, mounting and pinning him down, and then seemingly attempting to mate.
While on top of the second lion, the large animal appeared to thrust his tongue out at park visitors with gaping mouths.
‘There are two males and two females in that pride,’ said Mr Bridges, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire. One of the lions leapt up, walked over, and leaped on the back of his friend.
‘A lot of people were watching this.’
‘I guess it was a’should have gone to Specsavers’ moment since the lioness was resting there next to them.
‘To be honest, every time a male approached her, she hissed and swatted their faces with her paw.
‘It’s not uncommon for them to behave in this manner at times. I’m not sure if it’s a dominance thing or anything – they appear to be aggressive, but it’s all play between pals.’
Mr Bridges, 42, of the warehouse shift, said he’d photographed lions at the animal park previously, but this was the first time he’d seen them playing together.
‘Usually they lie asleep doing nothing when I go to photograph them, but this time they were up and about,’ he explained.
‘My favorite is the one when he looks to push his tongue out.
‘I’ve never seen a shot of two males on top of each other with one sticking his tongue out – it’s as if he’s proud of what he’s doing.
‘I passionately enjoy animals; I can’t even bring myself to kill a fly or a spider, and I appreciate the park’s conservation efforts.’
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