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.
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.’
