To celebrate the release of Disney’s live action remake of the 1994 beloved classic The Lion King, Jasper Baines discovers the truth about these magnificent big cats – how they live, the challenges they face, and how we can all help conservation efforts to save them.
Following on from live-action Disney remakes of The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast and Dumbo is the hotly anticipated remake of The Lion King, which promises to be a celebration of both the fantastic 1994 original and, more importantly, of the beautiful, natural African environment in which it is set.
Unfortunately, the inexorable impact of humanity is threatening the survival of the environment that is so stirringly evoked by films such as The Lion King. Human encroachment into the savannah has led to it decreasing in size by 75%. The destruction of lion habitats (a microcosm of our collective impact on animal species throughout the globe) is faster than the rate of tropical deforestation; it is clear that our collective impact is directly endangering the survival of these magnificent big cats.
So, in celebration of The Lion King, here are some amazing facts about lions, some worrying realities of the future they face, and how you can help them.
An ode to Lions shall we say!