This is the beautiful moment a lioness is reunited with the man who raised her as a cub.

The huge cat named Kiara waits patiently for beloved adoptive dad Adolfo to arrive.

Sensing her owner, the animal paces around the yard clearly excited.

When Adolfo enters the enclosure, the delighted lioness embraces him with a jaw-dropping hug.

They fall to the floor and cuddle in a truly inspiring scene.

The playful lion wrestles and repeatedly hugs its adoptive dad for several minutes.

The touching video, posted by the The Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation, has been viewed nearly 2,000 times already since it was posted on YouTube yesterday.

One YouTube user said: "That made me choke up , so much love that was incredible."

Another called Alexandria Vaun said: "So much love! She's beautiful! She gave him the biggest lioness hug."

Alyssa Marszalkowski said: "So beautiful truly wonderful creature."

The foundation based in Mexico said it has rescued more than 30 tigers, lions and jaguars.

Its mission is: "To rescue Big Cats from sad circumstances and provide them with the best lifestyle available. A life governed by Love and respect."