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Lion King at 30: the global hit that Disney didn’t believe in

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joel-gray-1539770">Joel Gray</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/sheffield-hallam-university-846">Sheffield Hallam University</a></em></p> <p>Thirty years ago audiences were introduced to the epic story of one little lion’s journey to find himself and his family. Little did Disney know what a roaring success the Lion King would be when it was released in 1994. In fact, they fully expected it wouldn’t be.</p> <p>In the 80s and 90s, the movie studio experienced huge hits with the animated films The Little Mermaid (1989) and Beauty and the Beast (1991). This left many of the creatives at the Disney studio keen to <a href="https://www.theringer.com/movies/2019/7/19/20699678/the-lion-king-original-animation-1994">continue making princess stories</a>. Disney executive and Hollywood stalwart Jeffrey Katzenberg was banking on Pocahontas (1995) to be their next hit.</p> <p>Therefore, the Lion King’s development was undertaken by artists and storytellers who were expected to produce something that would only ever be second best. It’s this underdog feeling that resulted in a hungry and competitive creative team producing this original hit story (it’s <a href="https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a28376309/the-lion-king-hamlet-comparison/">not a direct retelling of Hamlet</a>, as some might think).</p> <p>Taking heed of its immediate film predecessors, Disney ensured the movie put music at the forefront of its storytelling, teaming up film scorist Hans Zimmer (Rain Man, Gladiator) with lyricist Tim Rice (Aladdin, Jesus Christ Superstar) and acclaimed international pop star Elton John. This combination of talent resulted in a soundtrack that won the film two Oscars in 1995 (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB5k_flnqf0">best score</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjgWWjkNbhU">best original song for Can You Feel The Love Tonight?</a>). The songs and music have played a critical role in the cultural and commercial impact of The Lion King. While some elements might change, in nearly every adaptation the songs have remained.</p> <p>The measure of success often used for movies is box office revenue, and the film’s 1994 total was <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0110357/">US$763 million</a> (£603 million) worldwide. Compare that with Disney’s previous great successes, The Little Mermaid <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0097757/">US$84 million</a> worldwide and Beauty and the Beast <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0101414/?ref_=bo_se_r_2">US$249 million</a>. Pocahontas, the great hope, also failed to outperform The Lion King bringing in <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0114148/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">US$142 million</a>.</p> <p>Its success spawned direct-to-video sequels, including The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride. In 1997, the film was adapted into a <a href="https://www.thelionking.co.uk/about-the-show">musical theatre production</a>, which, as well as touring globally, is a permanent fixture in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York. Then in 2019, Disney released <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TavVZMewpY">a live-action remake</a>. And now, as the original celebrates its 30th anniversary, the prequel, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjQG-a7d41Q">Mufasa: The Lion King</a>, will hit cinemas.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lFzVJEksoDY?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Disney has cleverly followed the fans with these iterations. The 1997 stage adaptation tapped into the late <a href="https://www.onstageblog.com/columns/2017/4/13/the-50-best-musicals-of-the-1990s">90s resurgence in live musical theatre</a>. Since its debut the musical has received 70 major arts awards, including the 1999 Grammy for best musical show album and the 1999 Laurence Olivier awards for best choreography and best costume design.</p> <p>Then 25 years after the original’s release, Disney decided to remake The Lion King (following other hits such as Beauty and the Beast remake in 2017) – but the social environment had changed. In 2019, the “live action” remake of the movie ensured that this story set in Africa was rightly <a href="https://toofab.com/2019/07/04/original-lion-king-had-35-percent-black-main-cast/">cast with majority Black performers</a>. The cast introduced new names, but also attracted huge stars, including Beyoncé Knowles-Carter who voiced the character Nala.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MjQG-a7d41Q?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>After The Lion King’s early success, Disney’s subsequent movies (including Pocahontas) did not live up to commercial expectations. From the mid-90s, Disney’s dominance at the animated movie box office was overtaken by Pixar and their hits, including Toy Story.</p> <p>Disney experienced inconsistent success until 2010 when they embraced CGI 3D animation as the primary production technique for their movies. This new style was applied to their tried-and-tested format of retelling classic fairytales and placing music at the heart of the storytelling, leading to hits such as Tangled (2010) and Frozen (2013).</p> <p>The Lion King’s enduring success should be a stand-out moment of clarity for Disney: with a focus on good quality animation and solid music storytelling, even the unexpected can become a roaring success.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/233024/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joel-gray-1539770">Joel Gray</a>, Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/sheffield-hallam-university-846">Sheffield Hallam University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Walt Disney Pictures </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/lion-king-at-30-the-global-hit-that-disney-didnt-believe-in-233024">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Movies

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Sydney lions’ great escape finally explained

<p dir="ltr">The mystery surrounding the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/five-lions-escape-from-taronga-zoo-enclosure">five lions that escaped from their enclosure</a> at Taronga Zoo has been solved, after the zoo revealed the big cats were able to roam free due to a small gap in the fence.</p> <p dir="ltr">Male lion Ato and 16-month-old cubs Khari, Luzuko, Malike and Zuri sent the Sydney zoo into lockdown last week after they got out of their enclosure.</p> <p dir="ltr">The five lions were found in an area adjacent to the main exhibit and returned to their enclosure before the zoo opened to the public.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a statement on Thursday, officials said that clamps used to join wire cables together had “failed”, leading to a cable unravelling to create a gap in the fence.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Preliminary independent engineering advice has confirmed that swages (clamps that join wire cables together) failed, enabling a lacing cable that connects the fence mesh to a tension cable to unravel,” <a href="https://taronga.org.au/media-release/2022-11-01/statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the statement read</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">”The lions were then able to create and squeeze through a gap.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The review into the incident found that the lions were “playing and interacting” with the fence for around 20 minutes before the gap formed.</p> <p dir="ltr">While the lion and cubs took the opportunity to escape, “lioness Maya and one cub chose to remain in the exhibit”, according to officials, and were later called back into their dens by keepers.</p> <p dir="ltr">While families who were camping at the zoo overnight were taken to a safe area by staff, other Taronga Zoo employees worked to bring the lions back safely and used vehicles to “monitor and control the situation”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This enabled keepers to use their relationships with the lions, as well as their training for such incidents, to calmly call the lions back to their exhibit, ensuring a peaceful and safe outcome for all people and animals,” the zoo said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The four other cubs and adult male lion appeared to remain calm and investigated the other side of the main containment fence, remaining within metres of their exhibit, before actively trying to find their way back under the fence.”</p> <p dir="ltr">After the five lions escaped, two cubs then breached a second fence while trying to find access back into the exhibit, with one walking back to the exhibit without issue and the other needing to be tranquillised by vets and returned.</p> <p dir="ltr">The zoo concluded the statement by saying the lions would “remain in an outdoor, back-of-house holding area pending specialist engineering advice”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The ongoing review of the incident has recommended that the fence be investigated by an independent tensile-structure engineer, who would advise the zoo on how the clamps broke and how the fence can be fixed.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bbc3bb5a-7fff-23af-6c43-dd3f90bf6372"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Sam Mac’s terrifying close call at the zoo

<p dir="ltr">Sam Mac has had a close call with a menacing lion at Sydney Zoo, just days after<a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/five-lions-escape-from-taronga-zoo-enclosure" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> five of them escaped at Taronga Zoo</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The <em>Sunrise </em>weatherman was speaking to Marco, one of the zoo’s lion keepers, about Virunga, a massive 220kg lion.</p> <p dir="ltr">Virunga kept pacing up and down his enclosure as the pair discussed how big he is before Sam got the fright of his life.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The size of the paws, you feel their breath, the sounds that they make,” Sam said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Suddenly, Virunga jumped at the fence causing Sam and Marco to jump back, while in the studio Natalie Barr and David Kochie could be heard exclaiming “oh my goodness”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He’s very hungry,” Marco said.</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSunrise%2Fvideos%2F5579584545490670%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">Sam then jokingly mentioned the incident at Taronga Zoo in which five lions escaped their enclosure - sounding the warning alarm.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Did you have that moment when you suddenly realise you’ve left the iron on at home?” he asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Like, ‘have I done all of my checks, are all of the gates closed? Did you have that moment?”</p> <p dir="ltr">Marco confessed that the incident at Taronga Zoo was a “definitely a good reminder” to ensure that he’s locked up the lions for everyone’s safety.</p> <p dir="ltr">He then handed Sam a piece of meat to feed Virunga and put his palm up against the fence before getting another fright.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So, just keep the fingers away, that’s all I need to know?" Sam asked</p> <p dir="ltr">“Yep, just keep the meat in the palm of your hand, aim for one of the squares around his head height, and keep your hand nice and flat,” Marco said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Once again, Virunga jumped at the fence, placing his large paw on it, scaring Sam away.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Whoah - ohhh. I know there’s a cage there, but it’s still just ... it’s so intimidating!”</p> <p dir="ltr">Marco tried to hand Sam another piece of meat to feed Virunga but he said he was “good”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“My favourite animal - but ideally with a fence between us.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Sunrise</em></p>

TV

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Five lions escape from Taronga Zoo enclosure

<p>Sydney's Taronga Zoo was placed under heavy lockdown on Wednesday morning as five lions escaped from their enclosure. </p> <p>At 6:30am on Wednesday, one adult lion and four cubs were spotted outside of their main enclosure, but were still separated from the rest of the zoo by a six-foot fence.</p> <p>When the animals were discovered, a full scale emergency response was enacted in the zoo. </p> <p>Locals from the area reported loud alarms and directions for all staff apart from the lion keepers to go to "safe havens".</p> <p>A Sydney family who were staying overnight at the zoo as part of its luxury "roar and snore" program told the <a title="" href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/taronga-zoo-put-into-lockdown-after-five-lions-escape-enclosure-20221102-p5buua.html" target="" rel="">Sydney Morning Herald</a> they were told to leave their tent and run.</p> <p>"They came running into the tent area saying, 'this is a Code One, get out of your tent and run, come now and leave your belongings'," Magnus Perri said.</p> <p>"We had to run to this building, it was only 50 or 70 metres. They counted us, then locked the door."</p> <p>Taronga Zoo's Executive Director Simon Duffy confirmed that one of the cubs was tranquillised by a veterinarian on site. </p> <p>Taronga Zoo issued a statement just before 9am confirming the lions had escaped but they had been returned to their enclosures with no further issues.</p> <p>"An emergency situation occurred this morning at Taronga Zoo Sydney when five lions were located outside their enclosure. The Zoo has strict safety protocols in place for such events," the statement read.</p> <p>"All persons on site were moved to safe zones and there are no injuries to guests or staff. All animals are now in their exhibit where they are being closely monitored."</p> <p>"The zoo will be open as normal today. Further details will be provided when possible."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Nine News</em></p>

News

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"Never forgive!": Lion King and The Hobbit actor killed defending Ukraine

<p dir="ltr">A Ukrainian actor and TV host <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/celebrity-deaths/the-hobbit-and-lion-king-actor-pasha-lee-33-killed-in-ukraine-invasion/news-story/196a4a99f7c1c08d37388615191f04ab" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has died</a> in the Russian invasion after quitting his job and joining the army to defend his country.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 33-year-old signed up to Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces just last week, and died during Russian shelling in Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, on Sunday.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-2909e28d-7fff-abf8-bcec-915db6febe48"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">In his final post to Instagram, Lee shared a photo of himself smiling in his military uniform.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CasIphINGKk/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CasIphINGKk/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by ПАША ЛИ | АКТЕР | TV HOST (@pashaleeofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“For the last 48 hours there is an opportunity to sit down and take a picture of how we are being bombed, and we are smiling because we will manage and everything will be UKRAINE, WE ARE WORKING!” he wrote on Saturday.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-05bf1250-7fff-c7e8-1b63-17213acfb80c"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">In another post from two days prior, he shared another picture of himself and called on Ukrainians to “join” him in the war.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CakIYNVNZea/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CakIYNVNZea/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by ПАША ЛИ | АКТЕР | TV HOST (@pashaleeofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">His post came as four civilians were killed, including a family of three, in the same city while attempting to flee Russian bombardment.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lee was known for his roles in Ukrainian films <em>#SelfieParty</em> and <em>The Fight Rules</em>, and for contributing to Ukrainian dubs of <em>The Hobbit</em> and <em>The Lion King</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sergiy Tomilenko, a Ukrainian journalist and President of Ukraine’s National Union of Journalists, confirmed Lee’s death on social media and expressed “sincere condolences” for his family on behalf of the union.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Our words of support to all the staff of the DOM channel [where Lee previously worked], which embodies the noble mission of broadcasting for the de-occupation of the Donetsk, Luhansk regions and Crimea,” Tomilenko <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sergiy.tomilenko" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">A former co-star, Anastasiya Kasilova, who appeared with Lee in one of his final projects, also paid tribute to him on Facebook.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He is an actor, TV presenter, my colleague and a good acquaintance,” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Never forgive!”</p> <p dir="ltr">Lee reportedly joined Ukraine’s armed forces on the first day of the Russian invasion and was stationed in Irpin.</p> <p dir="ltr">Russia continued shelling Kyiv suburbs, including Irpin, over the weekend, resulting in the city being cut off from heating, electricity and water for three days.</p> <p dir="ltr">Following Sunday’s attack, which saw a mother and two young children among the eight civilians killed as they attempted to flee, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to punish “every b***ard” who committed atrocities during the invasion.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They were just trying to get out of town,” Zelensky said of the family who died. </p> <p dir="ltr">“To escape. The whole family. How many such families have died in Ukraine?</p> <p dir="ltr">“We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d8137e90-7fff-de91-8263-3913bb3e4f2d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @pashaleeofficial (Instagram)</em></p>

News

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Taronga’s five new lion cubs make their public debut

<p dir="ltr">Taronga Zoo’s<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://taronga.org.au/sydney-zoo/lion-cubs" target="_blank">new lion cubs</a><span> </span>have made their public debut and are now accepting visitors to their harbourside home in Mosman.</p> <p dir="ltr">The five cubs, three females, named Malika, Zuri, and Ayanna, and two males, named Khari and Luzuko, were born to experienced mum Maya and first-time dad Ato on August 12, which also happened to be dad’s fourth birthday.</p> <div class="embed"><iframe class="embedly-embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FcNMiveGs600%3Ffeature%3Doembed&amp;display_name=YouTube&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DcNMiveGs600&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FcNMiveGs600%2Fhqdefault.jpg&amp;key=5b465a7e134d4f09b4e6901220de11f0&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=youtube" width="450" height="253" scrolling="no" title="YouTube embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div> <p dir="ltr">Once the cubs turned 12 weeks old, they were ready to be introduced to their new home, under the watchful eye of mum Maya, of course. It has been over 18 years since lion cubs were born at Taronga Zoo, and this litter marks the first time there has been an entire pride in the zoo’s African Savannah.</p> <p dir="ltr">The cubs’ names are all Swahili, chosen by zoo supporters because of the lion’s African roots. Malika means ‘like a queen’, Zuri ‘beautiful’, and Ayanna ‘beautiful flower’, while Khari means ‘like a king’ and Luzuko, chosen by Taronga’s carnivore keepers, means ‘glory’.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">We're brimming with pride to announce the public debut of five beautiful lion cubs! 🐾🦁 <br /><br />The cubs who are now 12-weeks-old have taken their first steps into their new home under the watchful 👁️ of mum Maya!<br /><br />To find out more or to book tickets check out <a href="https://t.co/sC6cg9rIna">https://t.co/sC6cg9rIna</a> <a href="https://t.co/eKqEcH0Lh7">pic.twitter.com/eKqEcH0Lh7</a></p> — Taronga Zoo (@tarongazoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/tarongazoo/status/1456079093787729920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Mum and the cubs will have access to their exhibit from 10 am to 2 pm each day, and dad will be in the exhibit from 2 pm onwards. The zoo explains that just like any newborns, the cubs have “bursts of activity followed by napping and cuddling”, so their limited access to the exhibit reflects this; the family needs private time for very important napping and bonding time!</p> <p dir="ltr">This is the third litter for Maya, who was moved to Taronga from the zoo’s sister zoo in Dubbo last year, where she had lived since moving from a South African zoo in 2014.</p> <p dir="ltr">Carnivore unit supervisor Louise Ginman said that the cubs are growing at a rapid rate, currently weighing between 11 and 13kg each, and they’re already developing their own unique personalities. “Our guests are going to be in for a real treat every time they come to visit and see the cubs - with so many milestones on the horizon, no two visits will be the same,” Ms Ginman said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Rick Stevens/Taronga Zoo, Cameron Spencer/Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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New baby lion cubs! And you can watch them live

<p>For the first time in 18 years, Taronga Zoo has five new African lion cubs and you can watch them live on the zoo’s cub cam for a small charge.</p> <p>Sydney's Taronga Zoo hasn't been humming with crowds over the past three months, given it's been closed due to Sydney’s ongoing lockdown.</p> <p>But there’s a lot more activity and there’ll be a few roars from the lion enclosure from now on.</p> <p>It was about a month ago on August 12 when the zoo first welcomed the five African lion cubs — three females and two males — a quintet of cuteness.</p> <p>These little balls of fluff were born to experienced mum, Maya, and first-time dad, Ato, and they've grown from weighing around 1.5 kilograms at birth to hitting the scales at between five and six kilograms now.</p> <p><strong><img style="width: 0px; height:0px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b2adcb784c574162ac621ac73145584a" /><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844172/african-lion-2-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b2adcb784c574162ac621ac73145584a" /></strong></p> <p><strong>Watch the cubs grow on the zoo’s 24/7 live-stream</strong></p> <p>As they've been growing, Taronga's staff have been keeping an eye on them via the zoo's CCTV cameras. And, if that sounds like a great way to spend your own day, you can now join them via a new 24/7 live-stream.</p> <p>Taronga already lets you fill your time staring at capybaras, seals, meerkats, otters, Sumatran tigers, lions and elephants, all without leaving your home, thanks to <a rel="noopener" href="https://concreteplayground.com/brisbane/travel-leisure/leisure/taronga-tv-returns" target="_blank">its online TV channel</a>.</p> <p>All those animals are all well and good. They're great, and they're very easy to spend too much time staring at, actually. But, because we all grew up watching <em>The Lion King</em>, many of us have an extra fondness for lion cubs.</p> <p><strong>Small donation is required for the live-stream</strong></p> <p>Previously, the zoo's live-stream TV channel was free but now you'll need to make a tax-deductible donation of $7 to access the all-day camera footage – but you can donate more if you like.</p> <p>Your payment will help support Taronga, its ongoing research and conservation programs, and its work to save African lions.</p> <p>But the good thing is, there's your background viewing sorted. Popping the stream on in the background while you work from home can be a good idea. Sometimes, the animals you’re trying to watch aren't in view. And be warned – African lion cubs do like to sleep between 12 and 20 hours per day.</p> <p>Taronga Zoo Sydney and Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo started their online streams in 2020, and they're back now for obvious reasons. Taronga is also releasing regular videos across its Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels, and they load keeper talks and other clips online regularly.</p> <p><em>To subscribe to Taronga Zoo's cub cam, head to <a rel="noopener" href="https://taronga.org.au/sydney-zoo/lion-cub-cam" target="_blank">the zoo's website</a>. To check out <a rel="noopener" href="https://taronga.org.au/taronga-tv" target="_blank">Taronga TV</a>, head to <a rel="noopener" href="https://taronga.org.au/taronga-tv" target="_blank">the channel's website</a> — or keep an eye on its videos on its <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.facebook.com/tarongazoo/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/tarongazoo/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TarongaSydney/" target="_blank">YouTube</a><br />pages.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Taronga TV</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Heroic mum fights off mountain lion with her bare hands

<p>A mother in California is being hailed a hero after fighting off a dangerous mountain lion that attacked her son.</p> <p>The woman used her bare hands to fend off the animal after it lunged at her five-year-old son and dragged him along the front lawn of his home. </p> <p><span>The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the boy was playing near his house, west of Los Angeles, when the mountain lion attacked. </span></p> <p><span>After the mother heard the boy's screams, her protective instincts kicked in and she rushed to the rescue. </span></p> <p>"She ran out of the house and started punching and striking the mountain lion with her bare hands and got him off her son," Department spokesman Patrick Foy told the Associated Press.</p> <p>"The true hero of this story is his mom because she absolutely saved her son’s life."</p> <p>Once the boy was free from the jaws of the mountain lion, he was immediately taken to the hospital where law enforcement were notified of the attack. </p> <p>Mr Foy shared that the five-year-old boy had sustained traumatic injuries to his head and torso.</p> <p>Authorities also confirmed that following the attack, the mountain lion has been shot and killed by a wildlife officer. </p> <p>The officer was sent to the scene shortly after the attack, arriving to find the mountain lion crouching in the bushes with its “ears back and hissing” at him.</p> <p>“Due to its behaviour and proximity to the attack, the warden believed it was likely the attacking lion and to protect public safety shot and killed it on site,” the wildlife department said in a statement Saturday.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Panicked sea lions almost sink fishing boat

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A fishing crew in southern Chile had a surprising catch, after dozens of sea lions tried to board their boat en masse to escape a pack of hunting killer whales.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fisherman Antonio Zapata said he had never experienced anything like it in his four decades at sea, despite the fact that encountering hunting orcas was a relatively common experience.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the crew were sympathetic to the plight of the sea lions, they feared the boat would be damaged or sink even lower into the water under the combined weight of the animals and a full haul of sardines.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They were trying to climb on board and we had to spread ourselves around the vessel to try to get them off with sticks because the ones that were getting on were making us sink,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It was a dangerous situation because we couldn’t get the sea lions to go away or make the killer whales leave either.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Footage captured on a mobile phone showed the water around the boat filled with thrashing sea lions.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the 10-man crew could be heard joking in the video, Mr Zapata said they were also genuinely worried they could end up in the water too.</span></p> <p><iframe width="600" height="338" src="https://rudo.video/vod/bLSQN9/skin/simple/o/MjAyMS8wNi9sb2Jvcy1tYXJpbm9zLTc1MHg0MDAuanBlZw==" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; fullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There were so many sea lions around the hull that we couldn’t move much - every time we did they got caught up in the propellers and I was worried they could break them altogether,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The crew attempted to approach a nearby island so the sea lions could take refuge there instead, but the whales blocked them from nearing the shore.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once the whales finally drifted away, the sea lions were able to swim for cover as the boat neared the Talcahuano port.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Some of the sea lions came with us into port. We couldn’t get rid of them,” Mr Zapata said.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: ABC news</span></em></p>

International Travel

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South Australian zoo tragedy after lioness loses five cubs

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>South Australia’s Monarto Safari Park staff are currently in mourning after the loss of five lion cubs to lioness Nia.</p> <p>The open range zoo is the largest safari park outside Africa and released a statement on Facebook sharing the heartbreaking news.</p> <p>“Friends, it's with great sadness that we let you know about the loss of five lion cubs who were stillborn to lioness Nia yesterday,” the safari park wrote. “Nia, the second pregnant African Lion in our pride, went into labour on Tuesday morning. Sadly, she gave birth to two stillborn cubs early yesterday morning. “Keepers kept an eye on Nia via a live cam in her den and could see that, after these first two cubs, her labour was not progressing fast enough. Nia's welfare during this time was our utmost priority so the decision was made to intervene around midday on Wednesday to ensure she didn't develop an infection or experience complications associated with prolonged labour.</p> <div id="fb-root"></div> <div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/MonartoSafari/photos/a.192986660760871/2908160175910159/?type=3&amp;theater" data-width="auto"> <blockquote class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"> <p>Friends, it's with great sadness that we let you know about the loss of five lion cubs who were stillborn to lioness Nia...</p> Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MonartoSafari/">Monarto Safari Park</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MonartoSafari/photos/a.192986660760871/2908160175910159/?type=3">Wednesday, March 4, 2020</a></blockquote> </div> <p>“The vet team carried out a caesarian procedure but, despite the team's best efforts, the three cubs delivered by caesarian were unable to be revived. “Unfortunately, there was nothing more that could be done to save these cubs despite Nia showing all the instincts of being an excellent mum.</p> <p>The park’s director, Peter Clark, said that staff were “deeply saddened”. “We're all deeply saddened these cubs didn’t make it. Every birth at Zoos SA is a step towards saving species from extinction and these cubs were no exception. “Keepers and the vet team will monitor Nia to make sure she recovers comfortably.”</p> <p>Monarto just welcomed four healthy cubs born to another lioness Husani in February.</p> <p>The park often sees the “circle of life play out”.</p> <p>"Husani, one of our other lionesses, only gave birth to four healthy lion cubs just a few weeks ago," he said.</p> <p>"At two-and-a-half weeks old, these cubs have their eyes open and are moving around quickly as well as sleeping lots too. It will still be another week or so until they can see properly.</p> <p>"During this time the cubs stay close to Mum and she only leaves for short periods to feed and be with her sisters."</p> <div id="fb-root"></div> <div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=191037925551658"> <blockquote class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MonartoSafari/videos/191037925551658/">Two-week-old cuties!</a> <p>African Lion Husani's gorgeous cubs are almost two weeks old and growing fast! 🦁As you can see here, they're very good at yawning and rolling around and showing off their pink little bellies. 😍 And Husani is continuing to be an excellent parent, attending to her cubs' every need and making sure they're always clean, warm and fed. Keep your eyes peeled for more cub cuteness on our Facebook page soon!</p> Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MonartoSafari/">Monarto Safari Park</a> on Thursday, February 27, 2020</blockquote> </div> <p>The tragedy surrounding the lion cubs comes almost a year after the zoo was forced to euthanise a two-day-old zebra foal as it sustained an injury that was “drastically affecting its quality of life”.</p> </div> </div> </div>

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New technology can help understand the decline in Australian sea lions

<p>Australian sea lions are in trouble. Their population has never recovered from the impact of the commercial sealing that occurred mainly in the 19th century.<span class="attribution"><span class="source"></span></span></p> <p>Currently, the Australian sea lion is a threatened species (listed as <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/14549/4443172">endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN)</a> with the population estimated at 10,000 – 12,000. More than 80% of these animals live in the coastal waters of South Australia, where their numbers are estimated to have fallen by more than half over the past 40 years.</p> <p>The sea lions’ survival is threatened by many factors, including bycatch in commercial fisheries, entanglement in marine debris and impacts related to climate change.</p> <p>With time running out, the sea lions’ survival depends on informed management. One important step is to establish a low-risk way of quickly assessing the health of the current population. The results could help us identify how to stop the population declining.</p> <p><strong>Technological insight</strong></p> <p>One common way to get a quick idea of an animal’s health is to assess its body using a measure equivalent to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index">body mass index</a> (BMI) for humans, which is calculated from a person’s mass divided by the square of their height. But using a tape measure and scales to obtain the size and mass of Australian sea lions is time consuming, costly and involves risky anaesthesia of endangered animals.</p> <p>With our colleagues Dirk Holman and <a href="http://www.antarctica.gov.au/science/meet-our-scientists/dr-aleks-terauds">Aleks Terauds</a>, we recently developed a technique to non-invasively estimate the body condition of Australian sea lions by using a drone to collect high-resolution photos of sedated sea lions. We then used the photos to digitally reconstruct a 3D model of each animal to estimate its length, width and overall volume – and compared these to physical measurements.</p> <p>The technique, recently published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108402"><em>Biological Conservation</em></a>, worked better than expected.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303405/original/file-20191125-74599-16xcgmq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">Drone-captured photographs were processed to create 2D mosaics of images and 3D models. These were used to measure area and volume, both of which approximated animal mass.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">J. Hodgson</span></span></p> <p>The measurements were accurate, and we found a strong correlation between the mass of an individual and the area and volume measurements derived from the drone pictures. These are the key ingredients needed to assess sea lion condition without handling animals.</p> <p><strong>Conserving an iconic species</strong></p> <p>While simple body condition measurements have limitations, they are useful for conservation because they provide rapid health insights across a species’ range.</p> <p>Australian sea lions breed at around 80 known sites spanning more than 3,000 km of southern Australian coastline within the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-other-reef-is-worth-more-than-10-billion-a-year-but-have-you-heard-of-it-45600">Great Southern Reef</a>.</p> <p>Our technique can be used to study free-ranging animals at colonies across this range, from Kangaroo Island in South Australia to the Houtman Abrolhos Islands in Western Australia, and test for differences in condition.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309600/original/file-20200113-103990-1364qeo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309600/original/file-20200113-103990-1364qeo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">3D models of animals measured in the study.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">J. Hodgson</span></span></p> <p>This can give us valuable information about how individual health and colony trends in abundance are related. For example, if a colony is in decline and its members are in poor condition, it could be that factors such as food availability and disease are driving the decline.</p> <p>However, if there is no difference in the condition of animals from declining and recovering colonies, then declines may be due to direct human impacts such as bycatch in commercial fisheries and entanglement in marine debris. We could then target the most likely threats identified using this technique to better understand their impact and how to protect the sea lions against them.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303404/original/file-20191125-74599-kf9j1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">These two adult male Australian sea lions differed by just 11 cm in length but more than 130 kg in mass.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">J. Hodgson</span></span></p> <p>This technique could be used to complete a population-wide survey of Australian sea lion condition and help ensure the species’ survival. It would build on past mitigation measures which include successfully <a href="https://www.afma.gov.au/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/Australian-Sea-Lion-Management-Strategy-2015-v2.0-FINAL.pdf">reducing by-catch from gillnet fishing along the sea floor</a>.</p> <p>It will also complement current initiatives, including a trial to <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4481-4">control a parasite</a> that may improve <a href="https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2019/07/22/saving-our-sea-lions.html">pup survival</a>.</p> <p>Australian sea lions are an icon of Australia’s Great Southern Reef. As an important top-order predator in these coastal waters, they are indicators of ocean health. Understanding and mitigating the causes of their decline will not only help the species recover, but it will also help to ensure the unique coastal ecosystems on which Australian sea lions depend remain intact and functional.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127523/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jarrod-hodgson-247691">Jarrod Hodgson</a>, PhD Candidate, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lian-pin-koh-247692">Lian Pin Koh</a>, Professor, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/simon-goldsworthy-939775">Simon Goldsworthy</a>, Principal Scientist, Ecosystem Effects of Fishing &amp; Aquaculture, South Australian Research and Development Institute, and Affiliate Professor, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-sea-lions-are-declining-using-drones-to-check-their-health-can-help-us-understand-why-127523">original article</a>.</em></p>

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A biologist reveals what he thinks of The Lion King

<p>Last week saw the release of the rebooted <em>The Lion King</em>, an attempt to capitalise on the billion-dollar success of the 1994 original. With a star-studded cast, the reboot closely follows the plot of the first movie (spoilers to follow, obviously).</p> <p>Mufasa, king of the lions (and of every other creature in his territory), raises his son Simba to follow in his footsteps. But Mufasa is murdered by his jealous brother Scar, and his young heir is chased into the desert. Years pass, and eventually Simba reclaims his rightful place as the ruler of Pride Rock.</p> <p>The remake is likely to be the box office hit of 2019. But in my job as a big cat biologist, I spend plenty of time with Pride Rock’s real-life counterparts. While Disney was somewhat accurate, the real life dynamics of a lion pride in Uganda or Tanzania’s national parks can be far more Game of Thrones than The Circle of Life.</p> <p><strong>Sarabi’s pride: The anchors of lion society</strong></p> <p>The key to survival in lion society is strength in numbers, and lionesses are the anchors of lion prides. They form a matrilineal society, and generally stay in the territory of their birth. It is the males that leave.</p> <p><em>The Lion King</em> gets the fundamental premise of pride society right: its strength is the <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/293/5530/690">number of lionesses</a> in a pride.</p> <p>You might assume this would be for successful hunting, but far more fundamentally, it is the key to successfully raising young. Lionesses will often give birth at a similar time (usually a few months apart). This means they can suckle each other’s cubs.</p> <p>Genetically, this makes sense, as they are related as mothers, sisters, aunts and nieces. If one lioness dies, a relative will raise her offspring. Moreover, the strength of numbers means lionesses can defend their cubs from males trying to kill them.</p> <p>Males (typically not the father) will kill cubs to force their mothers back into heat. Infanticide is one of the the leading causes of death for young lions; about <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2013/08/serengeti-lions/">25% of all lion cubs</a> will die in this way. It is perhaps understandable why Disney chose to omit this aspect of lion society from their children’s films.</p> <p><strong>Scar and Mufasa would be partners – not enemies</strong></p> <p>Where <em>The Lion King</em> takes a turn towards fiction is in the relationship between Scar and Mufasa. In the film they are brothers, and enemies. But in real life they would be partners and rely intimately on each other.</p> <p>In lion society, young males are evicted from their mothers’ pride once they mature. To survive they <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/282839a0%E2%80%8B">band together</a>, looking for a new pride they can take up residency in and sire offspring.</p> <p>The more males in a coalition, the higher the likelihood they will secure tenure in a new female pride. Yes, Mufasa and Scar may have had the odd squabble over mating rights to females in the pride, but they wouldn’t kill each other.</p> <p>Instead, their fight would be with other males. Arguably the best example of this was seen in the mid-2000s in South Africa’s Sabi-Sands game reserve. A coalition of six adolescent males, <a href="https://africageographic.com/blog/the-legend-of-the-mapogo-lions/">known as the Mapogos</a> (meaning rogues or vigilantes), joined forces to rule an area of 170,000 acres for six years.</p> <p>They sired a multitude of offspring, but killed at least 40 cubs, females and adult males during their reign, before finally being dispatched by two other lion coalitions (the Majingilanes and the Southern Pride).</p> <p>Interestingly, in the 1994 original Scar was the bearer of a gorgeous, black mane, far darker than his brother Mufasa’s. Seminal experiments with dummy lions showed lionesses <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/297/5585/1339%E2%80%8B">prefer males with darker manes</a>.</p> <p>Those same dark-maned males feature more testosterone and can heal up quicker after big fights. Rather than the outcast Scar is made out to be, his black mane would be an important indicator of fitness and very sexy to lionesses!</p> <p><strong>Run away and (really) never return</strong></p> <p>One of the key moments in <em>The Lion King</em> is Simba leaving his mother’s pride, fuelled by guilt over Mufasa’s death.</p> <p>The act of leaving is dead right, but it would not have been voluntary. Adult lions cannot stand the presence of young and upcoming males in their areas, although they will tolerate young cubs to a degree. When males are between two and a half and about four, they are forcibly evicted by their fathers, uncles and other pride members.</p> <p>I recently saw one of my favourite Ugandan lions, a 3-year-old male called Jacob (pictured below), get swatted around by a coalition of three massive mature males. Jacob immediately submitted, laying on his back and cowering. Simba’s journey away from home would not have been a smooth one.</p> <p>When lions leave their birth pride, they’re setting out on a long, arduous journey (which makes it all the more important to have your brother or cousin with you).</p> <p>Lions can move hundreds of kilometres in search of a new “home”, a new pride they can challenge the incumbent males for. They can cross electrified fences into new reserves, move across cattle farms and even <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/CDE002EC458890809D81DDE543821D99/S0952836902003126a.pdf/reduced_dispersal_and_opportunistic_territory_acquisition_in_male_lions_panthera_leo.pdf">international borders</a>.</p> <p>The likelihood of Simba returning to his mother’s pride are next to none, barring some extreme event resulting in the males dying (for example trophy hunters or poachers). Of course, if he did return, it would be to mate with as many lionesses as he could, many of whom – if not all – would be closely related to him.</p> <p>While I personally revel in the opportunity to study lion society in its totality, even the fights and hardships, I can understand why Disney chose to skim over some of these aspects of lion life in favour of fantasy.</p> <p>Although the story of <em>The Lion King</em> is ultimately positive, African lions are thought to have undergone a <a href="https://theconversation.com/dynasties-lions-may-disappear-without-urgent-funding-for-conservation-107116">50% decline</a> since the original film. The new <em>Lion King</em> gives us all an opportunity to be inspired by this magnificent cat and help its conservation in the wild.</p> <p><em>Written by Alexander Richard Braczkowski. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-sarabis-pride-mufasa-just-lives-there-a-biologist-on-the-lion-king-120660">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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Japanese zoo's hilarious lion drill goes viral

<p><span>One of the worst situations that a zoo can face is to have dangerous animals escaping their enclosure and roaming free.</span></p> <p><span>To prepare for the emergency, Tobe Zoo in Ehime, Japan set up a drill to train staff on ways to deal with an escaped lion.</span></p> <p><span>Instead of releasing an actual big cat, the zoo opted to use a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-25/japanese-zoo-uses-fake-lion-in-escape-training-drill/11244646">staff member in a lion costume</a>.</span></p> <p><span>A video shows the furry suited employee strolling around the zoo on two legs and charging into a net held by zookeepers. The staff then could be seen simulating tranquilising and capturing the faux animal.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">Tobe Zoo in Aichi conducted a lion escape drill today. <br /><br />Note the expression on the actual lions faces. <br /><a href="https://t.co/azuJYQhLCw">pic.twitter.com/azuJYQhLCw</a></p> — Spoon &amp; Tamago (@Johnny_suputama) <a href="https://twitter.com/Johnny_suputama/status/1142420460988182534?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><span>The drill was aimed at preparing staff and visitors for the emergency in the event of an earthquake or other incident. </span></p> <p><span>The zoo noted that similar drills are held annually, but this year marked the first time it took place while the park was open.</span></p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftobezoo%2Fposts%2F2221043644617861&amp;width=500" width="500" height="770" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></p> <p><span>The video has attracted interest from social media users across the world, with many highlighting the zoo’s unique training method. “How do I sign up for this job?” one wrote.</span></p> <p>Some pointed out the real lions who could be seen watching the drill from a distance. “Real lions watch carefully – no doubt assessing weaknesses and plotting their own getaways,” one commented.</p>

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The big mistake in The Lion King remake: "It'll be off-putting for some"

<div class="replay"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>When <em>The Lion King</em> hit the cinemas in 1994, it quickly made waves among whole generations of moviegoers. The animated film became the second-highest grossing film of all time upon its release,</p> <p>That is why the 2019 remake by director Jon Favreau could not escape comparisons.</p> <p>Other remakes or adaptations of movies, such as <em>The Last Airbender</em> (2010) and <em>Dragonball Evolution</em> (2009) have received flak for straying too far from the source material – however, reviewers believe that the new <em>Lion King</em>’s doom lays on the fact that it follows the storyline of the original flick too closely.</p> <p>While the photorealistic animation makes for grand visuals, it does not fit well with the playful story that the movie sticks with, said Wenlei Ma, film and TV critic at <a href="https://www.northernstar.com.au/news/the-lion-king-remakes-big-mistake/3781652/"><em>news.com.au</em></a>. She noted how some musical numbers, such as <em>I Just Can’t Wait to Be King</em>, seemed to be slowed down “to accommodate the photorealism”, making them feel “flat” and dull.</p> <p>“Though by no means a disaster or even a bad movie, <em>The Lion King</em> would’ve been better off trying to be more of its own movie, do something different in terms of story and character,” she wrote.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">To be clear, I'm not inherently against remakes in general, or even a remake of The Lion King. It's just baffling that they tried to stick SO CLOSE to the original's beats and tone but in a new format so ill-suited to it.</p> — Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanaSchwartzzz/status/1150140136283238401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>Helen O’Hara of <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-lion-king-2019/" target="_blank"><em>Empire</em></a> also said the movie suffers from an “emotional gap” due to the visual effects technology. </p> <p>“What we gain in realism we lose in expression, even in their limpid eyes; it’s distinctly jarring when these cats speak, and even more when they break into song,” she wrote.</p> <p>“You can’t help but mentally impose the performances of their 2D predecessors and see far more, well, animation in the older characters.”</p> <p>Luke Goodsell of the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-17/the-lion-king-review-disney-live-action-remake-is-majestic/11312854" target="_blank">ABC</a> was more supportive of the naturalistic design. </p> <p>“There’s an unusual dissonance to the photorealistic animals, who have only a fraction of the expression of their cel-animated counterparts, speaking with the voices of the human actors,” he wrote.</p> <p>“It’ll be off-putting for some, as though the original voice soundtrack had been dropped into a wildlife documentary, but it can be refreshing, too – at least for those who sometimes find Disney’s anthropomorphic animals a bit cloying.”</p> <p>But for some reviewers, fresh visuals do not suffice. Yasmin Omar of <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/a28393880/the-lion-king-film-review/" target="_blank"><em>Harper’s Bazaar</em></a> said apart from the impressive computer-generated imagery, the new version offers nothing more.</p> <p>“Despite following the original plot to a tee, Favreau’s reinterpretation of<span> </span><em>The Lion King</em><span> </span>(or should that be ‘interpretation’?) is simply a regurgitation, drawing on digital technology designed to enhance viewer enjoyment,” she wrote.</p> <p>“This film is a digitally enhanced clone of the first. It feels like nothing more than an empty ploy to line the pockets of studio execs.”</p> <p>While the animated classic earned a rating of 93 per cent on review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the new version only managed to score 59 per cent.</p> <p>Nevertheless, the movie seems to be <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2476483/will-the-lion-king-still-hit-1-billion-after-disappointing-reviews" target="_blank">on track to make more than US$1 billion worldwide</a>. Another of Disney’s 2019 remakes, <em>Aladdin,</em> has made US$960 million so far.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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Dev and Anita Patel’s precious mother-son moment at the Oscars

<p class="canvas-atom"><em>Lion</em><span> star and Oscar-nominee, Dev Patel, was shining throughout the Oscars with his mother standing right best him for the duration of the night. </span></p> <p class="canvas-atom"><span>The London-based mother and son walked the red carpet, sat next to each other and smiled at each while the Oscars night entailed. </span></p> <p class="canvas-atom"><span>For all parents it is special to see your children be honoured in their chosen industry but for Anita it must have been extra special.</span></p> <p class="canvas-atom"><span>When her 26-year-old son was in school she pulled him out to attend auditions, proving she saw his potential to make it big.</span></p> <p class="canvas-atom"><span>In various interviews Dev has said that the reason for his success is his mother. </span></p> <p class="canvas-atom"><span>“The reason I’m in the industry is because of her,” Dev told </span><em>The Guardian.</em></p> <p class="canvas-atom"><span>Although many celebrities have taken their parents as award-show dates there was some that feel so special about the way he smiled and locked eyes with her when his name was announced as a nominee. </span></p> <p class="canvas-atom"><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/movies/2017/02/celebrities-facial-reactions-to-the-oscar-mix-up/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Celebrities’ jaw-dropping reactions to the Oscar mix-up</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2017/02/hidden-figures-cast-bring-out-katherine-johnson-oscars/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Hidden Figures cast bring out NASA’s 98-year-old Katherine Johnson at the Oscars</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2017/02/michael-j-fox-and-wife-tracy-pollan-stun-on-oscars-red-carpet/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Michael J Fox and wife Tracy Pollan stun on Oscars red carpet</strong></em></span></a></p>

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