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 King’s 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 ‘mating’ while lioness looks on https://t.co/7gOgkPLBbc pic.twitter.com/iAlpj0Zxff
— The Independent (@Independent) August 28, 2017
Russ Bridges, a 42-year-old amateur photographer who took the shots of the lions enjoying themselves, said: “There are two males and a female in that pride.
“One of the lions suddenly got up, walked over and jumped on his friend’s back,” he added, according to the Mail Online.
But Bridges’ comments showed that visitors to Yorkshire Wildlife Park in northern England were not quite ready to believe their eyes.
“A fair few people were watching this going on and laughing – they were all commenting on what it looked like.
“I think it was a bit of a ‘should have gone to Specsavers’ moment as the lioness was just lying there next to them.
“In fairness though, every time a male went near her she snarled and swiped their faces with her paw.”
He went on to downplay the mating display, calling it “play” despite it being an accepted fact among experts that lions initiate homosexual behaviour.
“It’s not really unusual for them to act that way sometimes. I don’t know if it’s a dominance thing or something like that – it looks as if they are aggressive, but it’s all play between friends.”
Bridges said the photos were unprecedented, at least when it came to him.
“I’ve never seen a shot of two males on top of one another with one sticking his tongue out before – it’s like he’s showing some pride in what he’s doing.”
It is of course not abnormal for many animals – hundreds, in fact – 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.
