Pictures of these cute but feisty lion cubs show them testing out their fledgling fighting skills in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.
The spirited youngsters were caught on camera getting their claws out for a play fight, before a mature female lion and the rest of the pride intervened.
Like real-life versions of Disney’s Lion King characters Simba and Nala, the cubs tried out their best moves on each other, even managing a backflip at one point.
Photographer Manoj Shah caught the touching scenes as he studied their pride over three months.
He managed to capture not just the youngsters but also the adults at play.
In his series of photographs Manoj shows Africa’s top predators fighting for control of the pride.
Lions in the Masai Mara tend to live in grassland habitat, grouped into families called prides.
Although they are famous for hunting other animals they also sleep a lot and have a playful side
Manoj said: ‘Play is motivated by instinct – when the environment is safe and secure – with mum nearby – and food is easily obtained the cubs will play.
‘Over the course of studying these lions I photographed every age group at play, from the large males, down to the juveniles and the cubs.
‘There’s definitely a softer side to these mighty animals.’
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