Photograph of a beautiful moment between two lions has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award from London's Natural History Museum. The 2018 contest which has been newly named as LUMIX People’s Choice Award was selected from a shortlist of 25 images. The black and white photo of two lions greeting each other was clicked by UK-born photographer David Lloyd who lives in New Zealand. Lloyd was in Africa's Serengeti region known for its nature and wildlife where he clicked the pictures.

Lloyd shared the photo on his Facebook page captioning it: 'Bond of Brothers'. Lloyd told the National History Museum he was pleased that his photograph was chosen as it showed the nurturing side to the predators. He was quoted as saying, "It illustrates the emotion and feeling of animals and emphasises that this is not limited to humans. It is something I think more people need to be aware of for the sake of all animals.' 2018 Wildlife Photographer of the Year: 10-Year-Old Arshdeep Singh From Punjab Wins Award for 'Pipe Owls' Picture.

He also said, "Lions are individuals with complex social bonds, and David's winning picture provides a glimpse into their inner world. I hope the empathy and wonder garnered by this image will inspire more people to take action to protect nature." Lloyd clicked the photograph in 2015 when he saw the male lions standing close to each other for around 30 seconds, unusually long. Drone Awards 2018: 'Above the Polar Bear' & Other Winning Photographs will Leave You Mesmerised.

Here is the photo of lions that won Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award:

Lloyd was quoted as saying, "The greet lasted a lot longer than the usual three or five seconds, it was almost half a minute of nuzzle and gentle head butt. There was no doubt the high level of emotion, feeling, respect and dependability between these two for each other." Michael Dixon, the museum's director in a statement said, "Lions are individuals with complex social bonds, and David's winning picture provides a glimpse into their inner world."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 14, 2019 09:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).