This animal rescue is so incredible, I had to share it with all the animal lovers here. Wildlife photographer Jean-Francois Largot was in Kenya's game reserve in Masai Mara. While there he witnessed a lioness rescuing her cub after the baby animal fell down a river gully. He took an amazing sequence of photographs showing the strong motherly love these big cats have for their young.

The tiny cub can barely keep his footing on the side of the vertical cliff. His cries for help were heard by his mother and the lion pride. They arrive at the edge and peer down over the side. Several lions tentatively try to step over the steep ledge to help. 

But it's the cub's mother who manages to work her way down the sheer cliff to her baby.

His mother protectively goes underneath him, before picking him up with her mouth.

She miraculously scrambles up the side of the crumbling clay wall.

Finally at the top, she gives the cub a mother's touch. A lick on the head as way of kiss and clean at the same time.

• Lions
• Kenya