The youngster managed to become stranded precariously in the branches of a low-standing tree while playing with his siblings.

But he soon discovered that while he may have been nimble enough to get himself up there, getting down was an entirely more challenging prospect.

High and dry: This young lion cub managed to become entangled in the branches of a low standing tree while playing

Tangled: Try as it might to wriggle free, the lion cub managed to become even more deeply entwined

Hanging on: The cub discovered it was not quite nimble enough to follow his siblings up into the branches
Amateur Russian photographer Alexey Tishchenko snapped the stranded lion in the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya.

He said: ‘I was watching a pride of lion’s when all of a sudden the young cub leaped up into the tree and tried to balance on the branches.

‘You could tell that as soon as he got himself stuck that he immediately regretted the decision to go climbing in the trees.

‘It was as if he forgot he was a lion and thought he was a monkey instead.

Drama: Amateur Russian photographer Alexey Tishchenko snapped the drama unfolding during a visit to the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya

Monkeying around: Photographer Alexey Tishchenko said it looked as if the cub ‘forgot he was a lion and thought he was a monkey instead’

‘It was such a funny and unexpected sight to see the lion up in the tree.

‘As soon as I started experimenting with photography, I knew that it was animal photography that I wanted to specialise in because animals can be so unpredictable and end up doing such funny things.’

Alexey, 41, spends his days heading up his cargo transportation business and his spare time behind the lens focusing on the natural world.

Wiggle room: The cub found a few branches to support he weight as he summoned more energy to struggle free from the tree in the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya