Grumpy male lion bares his fangs after being woken up by his three adorable cubs play fighting
A grumpy male lion growled at his three cubs after they woke him up while they were playing with each other.
He was resting in the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya when he was rudely interrupted by the young cubs.
Their playful fights got a little too aggressive and they ended up on top of their father, who quickly woke up and showed his displeasure.
The male lion bared his canines at the cubs as they tried to get him to join in the playful action.
A grumpy male lion growled at his three cubs after they woke him up while they were playing with each other
He was resting in the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya when he was rudely interrupted by the young cubs
The three cubs were seen wrestling and rolling on the grass as they played
The three cubs were seen playing, wrestling and rolling around in the grass.
They tried to pin each other to the ground with powerful tackles before moving on to the male lion.
The trio jumped on him to persuade him to join in, but he was angry that they had woken him up and bared his sharp teeth.
Camilla Malvestiti witnessed the encounter during her safari and captured the moment the playful cubs irritated their father.
“The cubs woke up the male lion, jumped on him and tried to get him to play with them,” she said.
Their play fight got a little too aggressive and they ended up on top of their father, who quickly woke up and showed his displeasure
They tried to pin each other to the ground with powerful tackles before moving on to the male lion
The trio jumped on him to make him join in, but he was angry at being woken up and showed his sharp teeth
‘The expression on the male lion’s face was funny and cute, almost the same reaction a human father would have if his children had woken him up abruptly.
The tour operator added: ‘Play fighting is an important part of growing cubs as they learn skills that will come in handy later in life as adults.
‘It is interesting to see how animals interact with each other, because you learn something about their behavior.’
Lion cubs practice their hunting techniques, improve their coordination and strengthen their muscles during play. These techniques are crucial for their survival skills.