Before lions grow up to become majestic kings and queens of the jungle, they spend a lot of time wobbling about as tiny, adorable balls of fluffy cuteness. And we all know just how endearing baby lions can be! There’s hardly a person on the planet who can resist their lovable charms.
Bahati, a beautiful female lion cub from the Dallas Zoo, has taken the Internet by storm. Not just because she’s as cute as a button (which she is!), but because she’s the amazing model behind baby Simba in The Lion King live-action remake. The Dallas Zoo recently uploaded a breathtakingly sweet video of Bahati, said to have been sent to Disney.
The Dallas Zoo sent Disney a video of Bahati the lion cub doing everything, from walking to drinking milk
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
The zoo then shared a shorter version of the video online
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
“The world’s most famous Disney movie lion cub may have gotten some of his moves from our very own Bahati!” the Dallas Zoo wrote on Facebook. “When Bahati was just a month old, we provided Disney with a video of this wild cat’s movements for their animation team to use for motion and behavior reference when designing Simba in The Lion King.”
Image credits: Walt Disney Studios
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
“From walking on wobbly new legs to licking milk droplets off of her face, we captured every moment of this adorable animal baby, no matter how small,” the zoo added. The video was viewed more than 47,000 times and was shared 550+ times.
Bahati was the model used for Simba’s movements and behavior in The Lion King live-action remake
Image credits: Walt Disney Studios
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
The Dallas Zoo, located around 3 miles south of downtown Dallas, is the oldest zoological park in the state of Texas. It was established in 1888 after a man sold two deer and two mountain lions to the City of Dallas for $60 and they placed them in pens in City Park.
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Walt Disney Studios
However cute lion cubs may seem, they’re serious business when they grow up. Female big cats can eat a whopping 5 kgs of meat every single day, while males devour 7 kg or even more. It’s the females that do the great majority of the hunting, while the males protect the pride — the pack that’s usually made up of 10-15 lions. Lions live for around 12-16 years in the wild and up to 25 years in zoos. We’re hoping that Bahati the cub will live forever and ever.
Bahati the female lion was only a month old when the Dallas Zoo sent Disney its video, but she’s growing up quickly
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Walt Disney Studios
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Image credits: Dallas Zoo
Here’s what people had to say about Bahati the lion cub
