The lion, called Tonga, can be seen looking slightly less than regal in the pictures Simon patiently waited for.

Mr Needham, who runs an Instagram page called @human.kind.photography, said: ‘I shoot for many wildlife charities, this image was shot for GG Conservation in South Africa to help them promote themselves for fundraisers.

‘I had to wait for Tonga to wake up from his nap but when he did he looked completely out of it so I had to capture that moment. I had to laugh, he looked dazed and confused for a second before he shook himself off.

 

Looking as though he had just got out of bed, this lion, called Tonga was pictured with his wayward lustrous locks at Glen Garriff Conservation in Harrismith, South Africa

Photographed by Simon Needham, who was patiently waiting for the perfect moment as the conservation’s largest male woke up from a cat nap

Photographer Simon said: ‘I shoot for many wildlife charities, this image was shot for GG Conservation in South Africa to help them promote themselves for fundraisers’

Simon Needham, behind the photographs, said: ‘People love to see lions but when it’s one that is in need of a serious haircut it certainly draws loving empathy and a giggle from people’

Researchers have found that darker manes are better at attracting females in the lion kingdom (file photo)

Studies have found that the size and colour of a mane acts as a signal to other lions showing the fitness and dominance of a male (file photo)