A couple of gay lions just showed their pride and people are wonderfully shocked
Two male lions have shown their pride in a mating display which may have changed some minds.
The predators were pictured getting intimate with each other at a wildlife park as a lioness looked on from just a few feet away.
So even if the idea that The Lion Kingās Simba could be gay is still just a pipe dream which annoys homophobes, at least some of these beautiful animals are out there representing.
Two male lions pictured āmatingā while lioness looks on https://t.co/7gOgkPLBbc pic.twitter.com/iAlpj0Zxff
ā The Independent (@Independent) August 28, 2017
Russ Bridges, a 42-year-old amateur photographer who took the shots of the lions enjoying themselves, said: āThere are two males and a female in that pride.
āOne of the lions suddenly got up, walked over and jumped on his friendās back,ā he added, according to the Mail Online.
But Bridgesā comments showed that visitors to Yorkshire Wildlife Park in northern England were not quite ready to believe their eyes.
āA fair few people were watching this going on and laughing ā they were all commenting on what it looked like.
āI think it was a bit of a āshould have gone to Specsaversā moment as the lioness was just lying there next to them.
āIn fairness though, every time a male went near her she snarled and swiped their faces with her paw.ā
He went on to downplay the mating display, calling it āplayā despite it being an accepted fact among experts that lions initiate homosexual behaviour.
āItās not really unusual for them to act that way sometimes. I donāt know if itās a dominance thing or something like that ā it looks as if they are aggressive, but itās all play between friends.ā
Bridges said the photos were unprecedented, at least when it came to him.
āIāve never seen a shot of two males on top of one another with one sticking his tongue out before ā itās like heās showing some pride in what heās doing.ā
It is of course not abnormal for many animals ā hundreds, in fact ā to engage in homosexual activities or partnerships.
Dogs, for instance, certainly have gay sex.
Earlier this year, a polar bear called Szenja died just weeks after her same-sex partner of 20 years was transferred to a different zoo.
The bear, who was left alone at SeaWorld San Diego after her companion Snowflake was moved to Pittsburgh Zoo, died of a broken heart, animals rights charity Peta claimed.
