Lion and lioness share loving embrace

A lion and lioness shared a loving embrace, with the cute moment captured by a wildlife photographer.

Debtanu Baidya’s incredible shots show the big cats tenderly rubbing foreheads.

He said, “The photos show a lovely moment between a male and female lion.

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“It’s a moment where the female sought attention from the male – almost like a scene from The Lion King.

The 25-year-old took the pictures at Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve – home to around 850 to 900 lions.

“They were within 20 to 30 metres when I photographed them.

“Sometimes they even went past the safari car,” he told What’s The Jam.

Debtanu – from Kolkata, India – is also a tour guide and runs his own company, Nature+ Safaris.

Recalling his trip to Kenya, he said: “We saw nearly 50 lions, three leopards – including one up in a tree – three cheetahs walking together head-on along the road and through the grassland.

“Big prides of African elephants both in the morning and at sunset, gazelles, and lots of birds like the Kori bustard, secretary bird, crowned crane, and many more.

“Among the birds, I even captured a picture of a bateleur with a plover kill in its beak, flying across the sky.”

Debtanu first picked up a camera years ago and “went in search of the wild”.

He has never found himself in real danger, though there have been tense moments.

In February, while hosting a tour at India’s Kaziranga National Park, “a rhino came onto the road and gave us some head-on shots, then all of a sudden made a mock charge before heading off the road into the grassland.

“We were in our gypsy and stayed put, as we were at a safe distance from the rhino.

“These are common incidents when hosting a group or tour, but they are not dangerous.

“We always keep one thing in mind – since we all use telephoto lenses, we prefer to keep a safe distance from the animals we are photographing. This way we don’t disturb them, and they don’t feel threatened by us.”

When asked about his most memorable moment, Debtanu said: “At the age of 22, I went to India’s Ladakh region in search of the rare and elusive Pallas’s cat.

“And yes, I spotted it and took a lot of pictures. As a wildlife enthusiast, that’s a great achievement for me.”

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