- A photo of an adorable lion cub clutching at a male lion's crown jewels is the winner of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019.
- The photo was taken by Sarah Skinner in Botswana.
- The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards are meant to highlight funny animal pictures and the importance of conservation.
- This year's competition had about 4,000 entries from 68 different countries.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
A curious cub clutching at the kicking end of a grown lion has been named the world's funniest animal photo this year.
The snapshot of the lion cub, taken by Sarah Skinner in the African nation of Botswana, is the overall winner of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019.
About 4,000 entries from 68 different countries were up for the crown, before things got serious and judges had to trim them down to 40 finalists.
But Skinner did indeed get the last laugh, at least with the awkwardly-timed snap of the lion cub, titled "Grab life by the..."
"It certainly warms my heart to know that this image will spread some laughter and happiness around the world," she said.
Skinner previously described what the undoubtedly odd image offers: "As the heat started to rise, one of the two dominant adult male lions of the pride decided to move from his position to seek shade," she said.
"As the male stood and started walking off, one of the young cubs who is blind in one eye ran toward the male, leaping up toward him. Rather than leaping onto his back as we expected, the cub's focus instead appeared to be directed toward the adult male's nether regions, with claws fully protracted! Fortunately for the cub and the male, he narrowly missed his 'crown jewels' and the male walked on, with all body parts unscathed!"
She added that there's an important message behind the comical moment captured on camera.
"I am happy to report that this lioness continues to thrive in the pride, having seen her again in October this year. I can only hope and encourage everyone, as a collective to each do our part in the conservation of all wildlife species, so that future generations can enjoy them, in the same way that I have done during my career as a wildlife photographer."
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards is a global online photography competition. The idea is to provide humor while also promoting a serious message about conservation and preserving the planet.
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