I’m not fully sure if this is the right sub to ask this question but you guys should definitely be able to shed some light on the subject. I am part of an online community where we follow the lives of wild lions in the Kruger National Park through social media posts from the safari lodges and tourists. We see this trend with many lions, they develop some scarring around the hip area and over the next few years they progressively lose condition and mobility as the injury worsens. With some individuals, it takes only a few months to lose all mobility and die of starvation. In some other cases, the deterioration rate is much slower, taking upto 3-5 years for the animal to lose mobility and die of starvation. And in some cases, the scarring develops and remains but the animal’s physical condition remains completely unaffected with zero mobility issues. The deterioration rate seems to be the main factor in determining how long the animal will survive before losing all mobility. I have attached a few pictures of the animals with this injury, any explanations would be appreciated. Thanks.

• Signalment (species, age, sex/neuter status, breed, body weight) - male, lion, not neutered, weight unknown • Short history - developing a scar around the hip joints and progressive deterioration • Relevant clinical signs (vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, fever etc) - none • Length of time you have seen these changes - variable • Links to any test results, vet reports, X-rays etc. that you have -

1. https://media.londolozi.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/30132829/Birmingham-Male-Lion-4-1598x1065.jpg
2. https://tintswalo.com/safari/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/DSC_2174-copy.jpg
3. https://media.londolozi.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/22142601/Winter.jpg
4. 04:05 in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoas5JpaFwE&ab_channel=CS-WildCAM