Lion Hugs Its Cub In Adorable Real Life Lion King Mufasa And Simba Moment

You may be aware that Disney will soon be releasing a remake of The Lion King, using super up-to-date CGI and photorealistic animation technology.

However, no matter how amazing the film is, it won't be as perfect/beautiful/realistic as two actual lions sharing a loving embrace.

Sabine Bernert, from Paris, France, was documenting wildlife in Masai Mara, Kenya, when she captured the adorable moment.

The 53-year-old photographer's images show a father lion gazing around his territory in the plains of Masai Mara before one of his cubs sneak into the long grass and jumps in for a big cuddle.

You could easily say we're anthropomorphising this exchange a bit here, but the daddy lion does undeniably appear to be closing its eyes as it cuddles its cub, in the same way that actual dads do when they're overcome by the combination of love and fatigue their children have brought into their lives.

Sabine caught the tender moment in the early hours of the morning while taking pictures for a children's book and she said the pair seemed to be really enjoying each other's company.

She said: "The lion pretended he hadn't seen the cubs until the last second. Then they started to play joyfully.

"I especially love the moment when the male lion is hugging the cub softly - the contrast between his brute strength and his gentleness, the huge size of his paw very softly holding the little cub.

"I was amazed by the way this huge lion was playing so gently with the cubs. They really looked like they were enjoying themselves and have fun. With the delicate light of the sunrise, it was a pure moment of grace."

But just because this glorious moment of nature is absolutely perfect and unbeatable, doesn't mean we can't get excited about The Lion King remake, right?

As most of you will know - or you definitely should do by now - the film follows a young lion called Simba as he grows up to be King of the Pride Lands - helped along the way by two absolute jokers, Timon and Pumbaa, while his Uncle Scar tries to stand in his way.

But in a twist to the tale - *spoiler* - it turns out that Scar probably isn't Simba's uncle, or Mufasa's brother.

From there it all gets very dramatic, we cry a little bit and we learn a few valuable life lessons along the way.

The film is released on 19 July, so less than a month to wait now.

Featured Image Credit: Caters

Topics: World News, Africa, Animals

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey