Just like how the old movie quote goes, “Before sunrise, he’s your son.”
Of course, we’re talking about the iconic 1994 animated film The Lion King where Simba, the ever-enthusiastic lion cub, rolls around the den to make his father Mufasa. And with the king of the beasts opting to negotiate five more minutes of peace, he passes on the responsibility to Sarabi. Ain’t this a relatable moment for parents on a weekend?
But unfortunately for this “Mufasa” in Serengeti National Park, the sun has already risen.
That means he should be in charge of not only one but four little lion cubs.
The video posted on YouTube has garnered over 18 million views with comments ranging from funny quips about parenthood to the realities that other children face. It starts with the lion walking towards some dried-up bones. The cubs, curious about what their dad was up to, got up on their little feet and started to hop toward him.
The lion was still oblivious to what was happening, but the cubs needed to satisfy the itch of their inquiry.
Maybe they wanted to know how to be a grown-up lion like their dad, but we’ll never know.
When the lion finally noticed how close the cubs were, he bolted. No, not turn-slowly-and-walk away. He jumped and turned like the four cubs posed more threat than a rival male lion challenging him for supremacy.
The cubs, maybe impressed by how their dad could run so fast, hopped and galloped towards him.
It would seem that his babysitting responsibilities are poised to literally chase after him throughout the day.
This funny and adorable interaction, however, is only made possible because these animals are protected within the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The national park was established in 1952 and was designated as a world heritage site in 1981.
This vast swath of savannah is one of the most important ecosystems on earth, especially since the site is the host of annual great migrations. It is also one of the oldest, with its physical features like vegetation and fauna barely changing in the past hundreds of thousands of years.
Unfortunately, despite the antics of this “royal” family, their numbers are quickly dwindling.
In 2019, their species has lost 94% of its historic range. They once ruled the entire African continent, but now, they are cooped inside an area of less than 660,000 square miles. Their population is currently listed as fewer than the estimated 25,000.
These revered predators, emblazoned on various coats of arms and stories of imagination, face a myriad of threats.
There’s competition for wild prey thanks to human actions. Encroaching development also fragmented their hunting and breeding grounds, which prevented them from mating and feeding.
Different organizations are now coming together to help conserve this species along with the animals they’re co-existing with. They hope that through our collective action, we can save whatever’s left of Africa’s amazing biodiversity.
And while this father may seem to “ditch” his adorable children, we hope that we never ditch these majestic creatures and protect them for generations to come.
Watch this hilarious video of a dad “running away” from his responsibilities.
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