Oldest Lion In Kenya Stuns In Haunting Photos

Lions are animals that people think of as kings. They’ve seen stories like The Lion King. On one hand, we see them as scary animals. But on the other hand, we know that they are proud and noble creatures. We think they deserve their reputation. That is why we are drawn to them.

It’s hard not to be drawn in when you see such an animal up close – but at same time there is always some level of fear present too because they are powerful animals with sharp teeth!

But at the same time, lions can be cute. They can be like other animals that we think are cute. We may not need to worry about them eating us, and it is easy to see them as a big cat.

The big cats can cut a pretty haunting figure when they get older, as shown by one photographer’s vibrant shots.

Back in August, a photographer named Leighton Lum, 34, visited Kenya. He went to the Maasai Mara national reserve.

The Daily Mail also said that this place is home to zebras, cheetahs, and other lions. He was most excited when he saw Morani who is 14 years old.

Morani is the oldest lion in the park. His brother died this year so Morani is now the oldest one.

And from the sounds of things, Lum was struck by Morani’s haunting look as soon he saw him.

In Lum’s words, “Just by looking at his face, you can tell this guy has been through a lot. He went from a young stud leader of a pride, a king, to a retired old man who still fights for survival in the Mara.”

Morani was once part of a group of four lions, but now he is old enough to have outlived them all.

But that isn’t the only reason why it was so simple for Lum to acquire all of these pictures of Morani on his own.

Morani has been alone for a long time and this is the reason for it. As Lum explained, “He is a lone male who has been pushed out of the pride by younger, stronger males which is a natural process in lions as the strongest males will control the pride.

From how Morani spends his days, we can probably understand why that keeps happening.

It’s not uncommon for lions his age to sleep up to 20 hours a day and he is often slow to get up and sit down.

Morani is clearly a beautiful and majestic creature, as Lum put it, “We spotted him in the morning, then went back at the very end of the day only to find him no more than 15ft from where we left him.”

What do you think of these photos? Have you ever witnessed something like this before? Let us know what your thoughts are below.

H/T: The Daily Mail