Lion Pictured Winking At Photographer

By Ruby M

Gren Sowerby, passionate wildlife photographer, had an unusual experience with a lion in 2019 while on a safari in Kenya. While traveling on the safari, he encountered a lion that he photographed yawning. The lion then smiled and winked at the photographer, and the photograph went viral.

Image credit: Gren Sowerby / SWNS

According to Sowerby, the lion had shocked him by letting out a terrifying roar only moments before smiling and winking at him. He had apparently just finished eating his lioness’s latest kill before letting out his massive roar, possibly indicating that he was full. When he was interviewed by SWNS, Sowerby said that the lion “roared to say: ‘I’m the King of the Jungle,’ and then I couldn’t believe it when he smiled at me, like when someone winks at you to say, like: ‘Haha!’”

Image credit: Gren Sowerby / SWNS

Sowerby told Bored Panda in an interview that he had discovered his love for photography 40 years ago when he was photographing his daughter. He described finding his passion as, “I got the bug. It has stayed with me all this time, and it’s the thought of getting better images that keeps me going.” Sowerby now travels the globe taking shots of wildlife, landscapes and portraits wherever he goes.