MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands' king penguins among the top wildlife photos of the year

Highly commended by London's Natural History Museum photo contest was an image of three king penguins on a beach during an sunrise in the Falkland Islands

A beautiful image of two male lions rubbing each other's faces in Tanzania has been crowned the People's Choice wildlife photo of the year. The picture, entitled Bond of Brothers, won the contest organized by London's Natural History Museum after 16,000 nature lovers took part in a public vote.

It was taken by New Zealander David Lloyd, who said the animals had lovingly rubbed their faces with their manes entangled for 30 seconds before they settled down again.

He said the image 'illustrates the emotion and feeling of animals and emphasises that this is not limited to humans'.

Also highly commended were a photo of three king penguins on a beach during an idyllic sunrise in the Falkland Islands, and a playful image of three African wild dogs fighting over an impala's leg in South Africa.

A sorrowful image of a starving polar bear in the Canadian Arctic and an urban scene of a real-life fox next to a painted comrade in North London completed this year's top five.