Love is in the air: Animals at Cotswolds Wildlife Park share a kiss for Valentine's Day

These romantic pictures were taken by photographer Paul Nicholls, 47, at Cotswolds Wildlife Park in Oxfordshire, in the lead up to Valentine's Day.

But the amorous photos aren’t all they seem – as the heart shaped vines which the lemurs are hanging from actually have grapes lodged inside them.

And the pair of meerkats appearing to share a ‘love’ cushion are in fact digging for biscuits.

Snapper Paul confirmed he was inspired by a similar set, involving swans, he did last year.

He said: “I liked the theme - I thought, well why can’t I repeat that – so I phoned the park beforehand and bought some props.

“The meerkats were very inquisitive so I hung biscuits underneath the love hearts so it would look like they were giving it to each other.

“I had to be very patient and wait for them to kiss, it would only be for a split second so I had to react very quickly.”

Gloucester resident Paul revealed that not all the photos were staged as the otters and penguins didn’t need any props to get in the Valentine's mood.

He said: “I went to the park and it was very apparent that there was a lot of kissing going on - there was an awful lot of love in the air.”

"The otters just seem to love rubbing their noses together.”

To see more of Paul’s work, please visit his website: www.paulnicholls.com