A lion in Maasai Mara, Kenya

© Scott Davis/Tandem Stills + Motio

'King of the jungle'?. World Lion Day

Lions are known as 'the king of the jungle,' but on World Lion Day, let's set the record straight: Lions don't live in the jungle. Lions lounge in lordly leisure and hunt with ferocious focus on grasslands and plains. When they're not hunting, these majestic creatures nap, wrestle, and groom each other. But in an instant, they're chasing down a hapless gazelle or a hippopotamus that's wandered too far from the safety of its river. Like the opening song of 'The Lion King' movie says, it's the circle of life. World Lion Day is our opportunity to (ahem) lionize these regal beasts and raise awareness of threats to their well-being like poaching, habitat destruction, and other human-lion conflicts.