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By Robyn White
Nature Reporter
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The oldest lion in Kruger National Park has been spotted battling out his last days with no food and no family to help.
The extremely skinny lion was filmed by Instagram users Storm Zackey and Andrew the Videoguy. He was wandering the South Africa park alone on June 9, in footage shared to Latest Sightings, a page that shares moments from the Kruger National Park. The video cuts to a time when the male was in his prime, surrounded by cubs and a lioness. But the recent footage shows no family to be seen.
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Lions are extremely territorial animals. Males usually occupy the same territory for generations. It is quite normal for them to battle among each other for dominance in a pride.
"After sitting and watching him for a few minutes, we continued on our way and decided we would return later that evening in hope of seeing him move," the visitors told Latest Sightings. "After some time, when we arrived at the location where he was, we found him lying in exactly the same manner. Clearly tired and too weak to move from his old age."
At 15 years old, this lion is extremely senior. This is the tail end of a lion's average life expectancy, which ranges from 10 to 15 years.
Latest Sightings said on Facebook that the lion had recently been in a fight with rival males, meaning "he will likely not be around much longer." In the footage from the Lubyelubye area of the park, the lion appears to be suffering from several injuries. He is well known to wildlife watchers everywhere.
"He then began to stretch and yawn, the same things all lions do before getting active," the visitors told Latest Sightings. "We held our breath in anticipation, and lo and behold, he stood. His hip bones were clearly sticking out, and his rib cage was showing. The hunger was clear, and it seemed as if he had an injury as well."
The lion reportedly rose to dominance over a pride about 10 years ago, before he was overthrown by four other males. However, he managed to outlive all of these lions and has been wandering the park ever since.
Three months ago, park rangers were concerned that he had died, after he disappeared. However, this most-recent sighting proved them wrong.
It is not clear what happened to the lion after his appearance on June 9, but he has not been seen since. It is likely that he succumbed to his injuries and has since died.
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