I’ve always looked up to Dad: Lion cub shares a tender moment with its father
- A male lion was pictured sharing a rare intimate moment with his young cub at a reserve in South Africa
- The touching image was captured by amateur photographer Limor Bahar, from Be’er Ya’aqov, Israel
- ‘The lion and its cub are playing – it’s very rare to see this gentle behaviour from a male lion ,’ she said
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A lion was pictured sharing an intimate moment with his young cub.
The pair were seen playing together in a rare moment of gentleness between the male lion and the three-month-old cub.
The intimate moment was captured by amateur photographer Limor Bahar, who went looking for lions at a reserve in South Africa.
The pair were seen playing together in a rare moment of gentleness between the male lion and the three-month-old cub
A male lion was pictured sharing a rare intimate moment with his young cub at a reserve in South Africa
She said: ‘The lion and its cub are playing – it’s very rare to see this gentle behaviour from a male lion to its cub.
‘It was my first time seeing this love from a male lion.’
Male lions rarely play a role in raising cubs, with feeding falling to the females in the pride.
The intimate moment was captured by amateur photographer Limor Bahar, who went looking for lions at a reserve in South Africa
Lionesses also teach the cubs to hunt, but the male lions will protect the cubs from predators.
This particular pride contained lionesses and one other large male lion.
Ms Bahar, 49, from Be’er Ya’aqov, Israel, added: ‘I was surprised and it was so touching and cute to watch.
‘I felt like I was witnessing something from the Lion King movie.’
The African lion is an endangered animal, with poaching and loss of habitat threatening their population numbers.
‘The lion and its cub are playing – it’s very rare to see this gentle behaviour from a male lion to its cub,’ she said. ‘It was my first time seeing this love from a male lion.’