This strange image has made many people immediately think of the military historical movie scene where Rafiki the baboon raises the newborn lion Simba to show off to all the animals of the Pride Lands in The Lion King.

The Lion King is one of the classic Disney animated films that has been attached to many generations of children around the world.

Released in 1994, this film has continuously achieved great success, becoming an immortal monument in the world of animation.

The 3D version was also released by Disney in July 2019, continuing to hit the big screen and becoming the highest-grossing animated work in the Mouse family’s history.

The classic image in a classic animated film has gone deep into the subconscious of many generations of children around the world.

Regardless of the version, one of the most memorable scenes of The Lion King is when the baboon Rafiki (who plays the role of King Mufasa’s advisor) holds the newborn lion Simba and shows it off to everyone. animals in the Pride Lands.

This seemingly fictional image turned out to be completely real, and only happened last Saturday (February 1) at the Kurt Safari Ecotourism Area, in Kruger National Park in South Africa.

The posture and movements are a little different, but in spirit, this is truly the real-life version of The Lion King.

Specifically, Mr. Kurt Schultz, the operator of Kurt Safari, accidentally came across the image of a male baboon holding tightly to a lion cub and swinging from branch to branch, refusing to let go. He was extremely surprised by this action and affirmed that he had never seen a more interesting image in his 20 years of working.

Sharing with The Associated Press, Kurt said: ” Even though the male baboon was quite clumsy and careless, he kept hugging and protecting the lion cub as if it were his own child.” That’s it .” He also emphasized that the weather that morning was quite hot, making the lion seem exhausted from dehydration and unable to move on its own.

The baboon kept holding the lion cub tightly and swinging on the tree.

Kurt said primates, including baboons, in the Kurt Safari area still regularly loiter around the resting areas of lions and leopards. Therefore, it is very possible that this monkey was waiting while the mother lion went hunting to “steal” the lion cub, for what purpose is unclear.

In The Lion King, Rafiki appears to be a wise, gentle advisor who is extremely concerned about Simba’s safety. However, life is not like a movie, reality is a bit crueler than what we see on the small screen.

Kurt shared that it was unlikely that the baboon took care of the lion cub like in the movie, but on the contrary, he had heard that sometimes these monkeys even executed their trophies.

Besides, baboons also often move in large groups and have the advantage of climbing in trees, so the possibility that the mother lion will still be successful is extremely low.

It’s very possible that this baboon quickly stole the lion cub while the mother lion went hunting.

However, the purpose of why it does so is difficult for anyone to confirm with certainty.

And in nature, it is entirely possible for baboons to kill lion cubs.

“ Nature is sometimes cruel like that, ” Kurt concluded, “ And it will be very difficult for lion cubs to survive alone without their mother to protect them .”