White lion shows off his impressive mane in astonishing photos

A white lion showed off his enormous mane in a striking photo shoot and became an Internet sensation. The magnificent lion, named Moya, lives in the Glen Garriff Conservation lion sanctuary in South Africa.

The gorgeous photos were taken by British wildlife photographer Simon Needham, who wants to draw public attention to the dramatic situation the wild lions are in.

The Los Angeles-based photographer was blown away by Moya’s stunning coat when he first saw him. «Though getting close to him was very hard, I had a few moments when he got close enough for me to get some great shots as he circled his territory. When you’re in the moment, you don’t have a chance to appreciate all the beauty of what’s going on, but of course I realized afterwards what great shots we got.»

The photos that Simon took are very beautiful indeed. Moya and his fabulous mane went straight to social media. By doing so, Simon also hopes to help the Glen Garriff Conservation sanctuary in their attempt to help and protect these majestic creatures.

According to some reports, there are about 20,000 African lions left in the wild.