The lion is truly awe inspiring and named the king of the jungle, mainly because of their ability to dominate their habitat. For starters, lions are apex predators, being at the top of their habitats’ food chain. And, while hyenas and wild dogs will sometimes eat lion cubs, no animal hunts mature lions.
This big cat is native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body with a short, rounded head, a reduced neck and round ears. The tail of all lions ends in a dark, hairy tuft. Its fur varies in colour from light buff to silvery grey, yellowish red and dark brown. The colours of the underparts are generally lighter. Adult male lions are famous for their prominent mane that grows downwards and backwards, covering most of the head, neck, shoulders, and chest. The mane is typically brownish and tinged with yellow, rust and black hairs.
The white lion is a rare morph, (it is not albino; it has normal pigmentation in the eyes and skin). White lions have occasionally been encountered in parks but were removed from the wild in the 1970s, thus decreasing the white lion gene pool. Nevertheless seventeen births have been recorded in five prides between 2007 and 2015, which is amazing news.
The lion inhabits grasslands, savannas and shrublands (less jungle-like than we say)! It is usually more diurnal than other wild cats but, when persecuted, it adapts to being active at night and at twilight.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, several lion type specimens were described and proposed as subspecies. About a dozen were recognised until 2017, at which time the Cat Classification Task Force of the Cat Specialist Group revised lion taxonomy and recognised only two subspecies based on results of several phylogeographic studies on lion evolution.
It is a social species, forming groups called prides. The lion is the only member of the cat family that displays obvious sexual dimorphism; males are bigger and have broader heads. Generally their adult size and weight varies across global range and habitats. Of the living felid species, the lion is rivalled only by the tiger in length, weight, and height at the shoulder. Head and body lengths vary between 160–184cm for females and 184–208cm for males. Weights vary between 110–143kg for females and 160-225kg for males.
Unfortunately the lion has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996, because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas. That being said, there are conservation efforts on improving the situation whilst zoos are engaging in research, preserving biodiversity (genetic and species) that may be threatened or at times even extinct in the wild.
Lions have been kept in menageries since the time of the Roman Empire and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoological gardens across the world since the late 18th century. Cultural depictions of lions were prominent in Ancient Egypt and depictions have occurred in virtually all ancient and medieval cultures in the lion’s historic and current range.
In modern times, the lion remains one of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture. It is a popular mascot or symbol, for businesses such as motor vehicle manufacturers, government entities, sports and other uses.
It has been extensively depicted as king of the beasts in sculptures and paintings, on national flags and in contemporary films and cartoons from the Leonardo Lion of King Leonardo and His Short Subjects series (1960-1963), to Born Free (1966), to the Disney animated feature film The Lion King (1994). Interestingly Roar (1981) features numerous untrained lions, three of which were credited as actors. The lions did as they pleased on-set, so they also share writing and directing credits! We absolutely LOVE this.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios have used a lion as their logo since 1924 and lions’ symbolism continues in fantasy literature: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz features the Cowardly Lion, who is particularly ashamed of his cowardice because of his cultural role as the “king of the beasts”. Aslan the “Greatest Lion” is the central figure in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Series and the lion is also the symbol for Gryffindor house, the house of bravery, in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.
As with all of the animals we work with, but particularly as lions are endangered and protected, we are incredibly careful about the work we do with them and how we do it. However, having the opportunity to film and photograph this incredible being is truly wonderful, and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t love it.
We cannot think of a better animal in picture, whether stills or moving image, and we relish the opportunity to work on your media project with the magnificent lion.
We supply professional animal location handlers around the world to ensure you get all the shots you require and, as overseers to ensure the wild is not disturbed, the crew will always be safe and no welfare regulations are ever breached.
It isn’t just the animals that are well trained, our team including our handlers are also highly experienced and fully qualified experts in the field.
Your handler will take full control of any animals on set and ensure the entire shoot runs properly. They will also fully manage the welfare of all the animals both on and off set; the safety and welfare of the animals is their prime concern. All of our handling is strictly force-free and only positive, reward based practices are deployed. This way you can have total confidence that by booking With The Animal Talent everything is taken care of legally, professionally and ethically.
The Performing Animals Licence is no longer relevant (it was scrapped in 2019) and has been replaced with the Animal Activity Licence, which we hold.
Filming with the lions is covered by a £10 million Public Liability Insurance policy.
Lions are under the DWAA 1976 and thus we follow strict legislation and guidance regarding our work with them. For further information about this, please contact our experienced animal agents who will be able to assist.
If any species of animal listed under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act are required, special measures will need to be put into place for the shoot. Precisely what is appropriate will vary species to species, but may include sectioned off areas where only trained handlers are allowed. In the event of large and dangerous carnivores, a specifically built green screen studio can also be supplied.
The lion is truly awe inspiring and named the king of the jungle, mainly because of their ability to dominate their habitat. For starters, lions are apex predators, being at the top of their habitats’ food chain. And, while hyenas and wild dogs will sometimes eat lion cubs, no animal hunts mature lions.
This big cat is native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body with a short, rounded head, a reduced neck and round ears. The tail of all lions ends in a dark, hairy tuft. Its fur varies in colour from light buff to silvery grey, yellowish red and dark brown. The colours of the underparts are generally lighter. Adult male lions are famous for their prominent mane that grows downwards and backwards, covering most of the head, neck, shoulders, and chest. The mane is typically brownish and tinged with yellow, rust and black hairs.
The white lion is a rare morph, (it is not albino; it has normal pigmentation in the eyes and skin). White lions have occasionally been encountered in parks but were removed from the wild in the 1970s, thus decreasing the white lion gene pool. Nevertheless seventeen births have been recorded in five prides between 2007 and 2015, which is amazing news.
The lion inhabits grasslands, savannas and shrublands (less jungle-like than we say)! It is usually more diurnal than other wild cats but, when persecuted, it adapts to being active at night and at twilight.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, several lion type specimens were described and proposed as subspecies. About a dozen were recognised until 2017, at which time the Cat Classification Task Force of the Cat Specialist Group revised lion taxonomy and recognised only two subspecies based on results of several phylogeographic studies on lion evolution.
It is a social species, forming groups called prides. The lion is the only member of the cat family that displays obvious sexual dimorphism; males are bigger and have broader heads. Generally their adult size and weight varies across global range and habitats. Of the living felid species, the lion is rivalled only by the tiger in length, weight, and height at the shoulder. Head and body lengths vary between 160–184cm for females and 184–208cm for males. Weights vary between 110–143kg for females and 160-225kg for males.
Unfortunately the lion has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996, because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas. That being said, there are conservation efforts on improving the situation whilst zoos are engaging in research, preserving biodiversity (genetic and species) that may be threatened or at times even extinct in the wild.
Lions have been kept in menageries since the time of the Roman Empire and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoological gardens across the world since the late 18th century. Cultural depictions of lions were prominent in Ancient Egypt and depictions have occurred in virtually all ancient and medieval cultures in the lion’s historic and current range.
In modern times, the lion remains one of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture. It is a popular mascot or symbol, for businesses such as motor vehicle manufacturers, government entities, sports and other uses.
It has been extensively depicted as king of the beasts in sculptures and paintings, on national flags and in contemporary films and cartoons from the Leonardo Lion of King Leonardo and His Short Subjects series (1960-1963), to Born Free (1966), to the Disney animated feature film The Lion King (1994). Interestingly Roar (1981) features numerous untrained lions, three of which were credited as actors. The lions did as they pleased on-set, so they also share writing and directing credits! We absolutely LOVE this.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios have used a lion as their logo since 1924 and lions’ symbolism continues in fantasy literature: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz features the Cowardly Lion, who is particularly ashamed of his cowardice because of his cultural role as the “king of the beasts”. Aslan the “Greatest Lion” is the central figure in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Series and the lion is also the symbol for Gryffindor house, the house of bravery, in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.
As with all of the animals we work with, but particularly as lions are endangered and protected, we are incredibly careful about the work we do with them and how we do it. However, having the opportunity to film and photograph this incredible being is truly wonderful, and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t love it.
We cannot think of a better animal in picture, whether stills or moving image, and we relish the opportunity to work on your media project with the magnificent lion.
We supply professional animal location handlers around the world to ensure you get all the shots you require and, as overseers to ensure the wild is not disturbed, the crew will always be safe and no welfare regulations are ever breached.
It isn’t just the animals that are well trained, our team including our handlers are also highly experienced and fully qualified experts in the field.
Your handler will take full control of any animals on set and ensure the entire shoot runs properly. They will also fully manage the welfare of all the animals both on and off set; the safety and welfare of the animals is their prime concern. All of our handling is strictly force-free and only positive, reward based practices are deployed. This way you can have total confidence that by booking With The Animal Talent everything is taken care of legally, professionally and ethically.
The Performing Animals Licence is no longer relevant (it was scrapped in 2019) and has been replaced with the Animal Activity Licence, which we hold.
Filming with the lions is covered by a £10 million Public Liability Insurance policy.
Lions are under the DWAA 1976 and thus we follow strict legislation and guidance regarding our work with them. For further information about this, please contact our experienced animal agents who will be able to assist.
If any species of animal listed under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act are required, special measures will need to be put into place for the shoot. Precisely what is appropriate will vary species to species, but may include sectioned off areas where only trained handlers are allowed. In the event of large and dangerous carnivores, a specifically built green screen studio can also be supplied.