- The family had been up hunting all night and the mother wanted to try and catch up on a bit of sleep
- Her cubs, though, had other ideas and began to crawl all over her when the sun rose
- She patiently put up with their antics, which included one of them sinking its teeth into her
- The playing, which is part of a lion cub’s development, lasted about ten minutes before order was restored
This sleepy lioness looked like she needed just ten minutes more shut-eye as the sun rose over the Kenyan Masai Mara.
But her cubs were having none of it and instead the little lions were in a playful mood after waking up and proceeded to jump all over and even bite her.
Despite shutting her eyes and hoping they would go away, eventually mum gave in and let them have a cuddle.
The lioness shuts her eyes in a bid to get a bit of sleep with two of here cubs beside her. The family had just surfaced in the morning light
The night’s hunting was successful for the lion family so the dawn seemed like a good time to get some rest for the mother
One of the cubs jumps on mum with its paws on another lioness. The warm sunshine awakened the instincts of the young lions
The initial playfulness turns a bit painful for the mother and it’s obvious that her cub’s teeth are hurting her. Play fights such as these are part of the young lions’ development
Photographer Ingo Gerlach said the cub’s playing around lasted for about ten minutes and was was accompanied with the female cub’s cries
The cute family moment was captured on camera by German photographer Ingo Gerlach.
Ingo, 64, said: ‘It was 7am when the lion family suddenly surfaced in the warm early morning light.
‘Hunting-wise the night had been very successful for them and they were feasting on a freshly caught gnu.
‘The warm sunshine awakened the instincts of the young lions. In particular there were two, a male and a female, who started playing. Both were around eight weeks old.
‘The young male appeared calmer and a little clumsier, whereas his cousin was very energetic and started to tussle.
‘The older lions bravely endured everything she threw at him as she gnawed and growled at them and gave her cousin a few swipes with her front paws.
‘The whole thing lasted about 10 minutes and was accompanied with the female cub’s cries.
‘Play fights such as these are part of the young lions’ development and it’s only through such games that they can find their place in the pack.’
Two cubs in particular, a male and a female, vied for their mother’s attention. Both were around eight weeks old and after play was over things calmed down a bit in the family
While the cubs set about bothering their mother, this one stayed out of the fray and preferred to watch things from the sidelines