A stunning series of images capture the moment a lion emerges bloodied but triumphant after fighting off a mating rival in a ferocious battle to win the female.
The photos show a lioness trying to catch the eye of a male lion, as she attempts to abandon her mate. But her furious partner is having none of it and comes bounding over to claim his girl.
In the ensuing fight the two male lions scrap angrily, but the spurned lion emerges victorious – if a little bloodied – and he moves his lioness on.
The series of images show a lion emerging bloodied but triumphant after fighting off a mating rival in a ferocious battle to win the female
The incredible set of images was taken by UK wildlife photographer Margot Raggett who was on safari in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
She said: ‘We’d heard there was a mating pair of lions in an area and had already searched for them once that day with no success.
‘So we returned in the afternoon and came across a single female lioness. Thinking she was one of that pair we were wondering where her mate was when out of the corner of our eyes we saw a male and female off to the left.’
Margot said the female bounded across to the pair, which she thought was odd behavior as normally mating pairs are left alone. But the lioness greeted them with affection.
In the ensuing fight, which was all caught on camera, the two male lions scrap angrily as the females scatter
The incredible set of images was taken by UK wildlife photographer Margot Raggett who was on safari in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya
The photographer said that clearly the lioness was trying to leave her male for the other male – but he was having none of it
She added: ‘Then suddenly out of no-where a male appeared from within the bushes in the direction from which she’d come, mad as hell.
‘Clearly she was trying to leave him for the other male and he was having none of it! He ran in, the females scattered and the ensuing fight is what’s captured here.’
‘While it looks like one in particular comes off worse he in reality was the victor.
‘It was him who came in to keep his girl and it is him at the end who has kept his female. The last few shots are of him moving her away from the male she ran to.’
Margot came across the incredible scene while looking for the pair of mating pair of lions she had heard was in the area
The photographer said she had already searched for the mating lions once that day with no success – but when she searched again she was treated to these stunning scenes of the fighting males
The fight was sparked when a lioness was tried to catch the eye of another male and approached him
The photos show a lioness trying to catch the eye of another male lion, as she attempts to abandon her current mate
The lioness’ furious partner is having none of it and comes bounding over to the group to claim his girl
Margot said that ‘suddenly out of nowhere a male appeared from within the bushes in the direction from which she’d come, mad as hell’
The lion that looked worse off with a bloody nose and urinating in pain was in reality the victor in the battle
The lions that roam in Kenya are considered ‘vulnerable’ – a population reduction of up to 50 per cent is suspected to have occurred over the last 20 years
The angry male showed no fear taking on his mating rival – and ensuring he took home his girl
Slightly scarred from battle, the triumphant lion leaves victorious and immediately moves his lioness away
The series of photos ends with images of the lion moving his lioness away from the male she initially ran to
‘It was him who came in to keep his girl and it is him at the end who has kept his female’: The bloodied lion leaves the fight victorious