Japanese Macaque monkeys soak in the warmth of mountain hotsprings at Jigokudani Monkey Park, in Yamanouchi, central Japan, 19 January 2014. The Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata), also referred to as Snow Monkeys, live freely in this area that is covered by snow one third of the year. Jigokudani is the only known place in the world where monkeys bathe in natural hot springs. As a habit, they come down from the mountains where they spend the night and bath during the day. (Photo by Kimimasa Mayama/EPA)

In this Tuesday, February 11, 2014, photo, a trained monkey, that makes a living for her Pakistani owner by performing to a crowd in public and private places, sits held by a leash, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. For Pakistanis who raise and train the monkeys they are an important source of income in an impoverished country, and they form a strong bond with the animals. The monkeys are usually captured in the wild when they are babies and then trained. A trained monkey can fetch 20,000 to 30,000 rupees ($190 to $285). (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/Associated Press)

Esau the ape at the piano. (Photo by Reinhold Thiele/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images). Circa 1900

A chimpanzee bottle-feeds a lamb at Southam Zoo Farm in Warwickshire. The owners of the zoo, Mr and Mrs Clews, bring up many of the animals as their pets; the animals, are, as a result, of a friendly disposition. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images). 23rd August 1968

A buffalo was on the verge of becoming dinner for a pride of lions… before his best friend stepped in. Usually, this kind of scene in South Africa ends with a tasty buffalo steak for the lions, but not this time. Just when an attacking lion thought he had the upper-hand, he got a bit of a (hilarious) surprise.

Created from nearly 4,000 pieces of metal scraps, Aslan (Turkish for Lion), is a recent sculpture by Istanbul-based artist Selçuk Yilmaz. The piece took nearly a year of work and involved hand-cutting and hammering of each individual metal piece

A female forest guard carries a tranquillizer gun in the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Sasan, in Gujarat December 2, 2014. The sanctuary, which is home to Asiatic lions in India, has an area of 1,412 sq km in which female guards were employed for the first time in India in 2007. The guards fetch a monthly salary of around $148 for working almost 12 hours a day, six days a week, said one of the female guards. (Photo by Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters)

Smithsonian National Zoo biologist Leigh Pitsko releases a male lion cub for its swim test in the zoo habitat moat, in Washington May 6, 2014. Four, unnamed ten-week old lion cubs were tested today for their ability to swim and remove themselves from their zoo habitat moat. (Photo by Gary Cameron/Reuters)