A lion in Maasai Mara, Kenya

© Scott Davis/Tandem Stills + Motio

A lion in Maasai Mara, Kenya

Lions are known as 'the king of the jungle', but today, 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 appear deceptively cuddly and approachable. They nap, wrestle, groom each other and an instant later they're chasing down a hapless gazelle or even a massive hippopotamus that's wandered too far from the safety of its river. Like the opening song of the classic 1994 movie 'The Lion King' says, it's the circle of life. These majestic creatures face challenges and threats to their wellbeing: poaching, habitat destruction and other human-lion conflicts. We need to be more sensitive towards these issues faced by these magnificent beasts, such as poaching and habitat destruction, and do our best to help resolve some of them.