Angry lioness swipes her cub across the head as he comes between her and her dinner.

This is the moment a ‘hangry’ lioness snarled and clocked her tiny cub around the ear when he came between her and her supper.

The footage by freelance wildlife photographer Corlette Wessels captured the hungry family sinking their teeth into a huge buffalo carcass at Djuma Game Reserve in the Kruger Park, South Africa.

But the little cub seemed to want attention from his mum more than a full tummy and sprawled out where the lioness was trying to eat from.

Furious, she responded by baring her teeth and growling at the pint-sized cub before hilariously cuffing him on the ear and chomping down on the carcass.

Corlette, from Lanseria, South Africa, said she travelled to the northern part of the reserve to witness the Nkuhuma Pride in action.

Mum-of-two Corlette, 42, said: “All mums get irritated at times when you’re busy making food and dealing with work.

“I think she just wanted to eat some meat in peace.”

“The cubs were feeding at first and then the female joined them.

“Her cub, who was clearly tired and just wanted some love and maybe some milk, was lying on top of the buffalo.

“He kept putting his little head close to where she was feeding and moaning until she had enough and gave him a small hiding.

“At one stage he fell asleep on top of the buffalo and when she tugged on the carcass he fell off, gave a moan and got back on it again.”

Corlette said the buffalo had become weak during the drought and were easy pickings for the hungry pride – with them killing up to three a day.

Mum-of-two Corlette said: “The cub just wanted some love, attention and maybe some milk from his mum but she was busy feeding.

“He was really still tiny and it had been cold and wet the night before which is why I think he went to lie on top of the buffalo.
“He wasn’t injured, it was just a discipline hiding.

“He eventually got off and started to chew a bit on the carcass and then went to cuddle up with his other sibling.”