Leopard looks like it's laughing in viral photo: 'I just thought it was hilarious'
The picture was taken on a recent trip to Maasai Mara in Kenya
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}We all need a laugh once in a while — even the animals.
The picture was taken by wildlife photography enthusiast Gren Sowerby on a recent trip to Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, British news agency SWNS reports.
"I looked back at the photo after I took it and I just thought it was hilarious," Sowerby, 70, said. "It looks like the leopard had a big smile on its face."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The laughing leopard in the Masai Mara in Kenya. The big cat appears very relaxed as it lolls about on a grassy bank, with its eyes scrunched tightly shut and its mouth spread wide open, baring all its teeth. (Credit: SWNS)
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In reality, the massive mammal was at the end of a yawn, Sowerby pointed out. "We spent about an hour watching the leopard from a safe distance, and as it got used to us being there, it got more relaxed," Sowerby added.
Sowerby said he hopes to return to Kenya for another safari trip after the pandemic is over.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Olare Motorogi Conservancy, located in Masaai Mara, was established in May 2006, according to its website. It has a number of different species on its more than 35,000 acres, including "the highest concentration of big cats anywhere in Africa."
Nestled alongside the Tanzania border, the Maasai Mara National Reserve "is one of Kenya’s oldest and most beloved safari destinations," according to National Geographic. At nearly 600 miles, the private reserve includes more than 300 species of birds, the "big five" (lions, leopards, rhinoceros elephants and Cape buffalo) and more.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The land is also home to the Maasai, "an ancient pastoralist culture known for their warriors, who were once expected to kill a lion to prove its strength and manhood," National Geographic added.