The Lion, the Leopard, and the Lone Elephant

Mufasa predicts that the Leopard will incur the ire of the animal kingdom as he struggles to meet the gruelling demands of the Itinerant Manna Flamingos. Mufasa knows that the animals are fickle and with every passing year, the Leopard’s popularity will plummet. Before long, the animals will once again yearn for a lion’s roar. And so, Mufasa hopes, the Leopard’s reign will herald the return of a Lion King

By W.D.

Mufasa reflects on a tumultuous year. The animal kingdom had been turned upside down since his brother Scar was crowned king. Scar and his band of hyenas had captured the throne in a campaign of lies and deceit. Mufasa himself was compelled to play second-lion by accepting the inferior role of prime minister in his brother’s court. But Scar’s rule was brief, as his pride and incompetence caused a great famine across the kingdom. The scale of the disaster resulted in an unprecedented revolt by the animals. 

At first, Scar sought to appease the animals by sacrificing Mufasa and replacing him with the Lone Elephant. But the animals did not relent. An angry stampede of wildebeest eventually stormed the palace and dethroned Scar. Ultimately, the lions, hyenas and the Elephant survived the onslaught by making Scar the scapegoat and forming an uneasy coalition.

 Many prophesies about Mufasa’s plans have come to pass. The first was in April 2018 (‘Mufasa’s Seven-Year Master Plan’), when it was predicted that he must forge an alliance with the Baboon-King Rafiki, who had defeated him previously. On cue, Mufasa embarked on an ambitious coup in October 2018, only to fail. The second was in February 2019 (‘The Animal Races’), when it was predicted that Mufasa must hope that the elephants defeat his brother Scar. Although a circuitous route was taken, Mufasa did eventually embrace this unlikely ally in July 2022 – when he sponsored the ascendency of the Lone Elephant. The ploy paid off, and Mufasa and his pride now live to fight another day. Each of Mufasa’s daring gambits had one aim: securing his son Simba’s path to the crown.

As another round of animal races approaches, the fragile truce between the Lone Elephant and Mufasa’s lions begin to crumble. The Elephant has laid plans to rule with an iron trunk. Thanks to the blessings bestowed by the Itinerant Manna Flamingos, the famine has begun to subside, and the Elephant has found favour in some quarters of the kingdom. But the manna comes at a price and the animals will be expected to offer great sacrifices to the flamingos. So, the Elephant seeks to seize the immediate momentum and to soon secure another term as king. His goal is to breathe new life into the bones of his dying herd. He is also buoyed by the support of the now leaderless hyenas. Meanwhile, the wildebeest have announced their own plans to compete in the races. Tired of being subjugated by lions and elephants for years, they have put forward their own champion. 

Mufasa is very worried. An elephant-hyena alliance could be powerful and resilient and could drastically diminish Simba’s prospects. Alternatively, an era of wildebeest rule could upend the laws of the jungle and could lead to the permanent banishment of lions. So, once again, Mufasa hatches a cunning plan. He must ensure the victory of another once sworn enemy: the Leopard. 

The Leopard is an elusive creature. He is rarely spotted, and if at all, only in the densest of jungles. His own following is precarious, as it is constantly courted by the Lone Elephant. Mufasa must take a leap of faith by setting the stage for a Leopard victory. The balance he must strike is delicate. On the one hand, he must not be seen to openly support a one-time foe, for there can only be one big cat in town. On the other hand, discreetly orchestrating the Leopard’s win may be in Simba’s best interests. In Mufasa’s estimation, the Leopard’s reign would be speckled with indecision and infighting, and ultimately short-lived.

How shall Mufasa proceed? He grudgingly concedes that his popularity has diminished due to his brother’s folly. So, a facetious offer of Mufasa’s support to the Lone Elephant may become a poisoned chalice that could scuttle the tusker’s chances of attracting the ‘anti-lion’ vote. 

Alternatively, Mufasa could openly oppose the Lone Elephant and put forward a decoy candidate. This candidate would almost certainly lose the race but may trip the aging Elephant along the way. Mufasa calculates that a four-way race between the Lone Elephant, the wildebeest champion, a lion decoy, and the Leopard may reap just the result he requires: the Elephant returned to the graveyard, the wildebeest returned to the wilderness, and the Leopard trapped by his triumph. 

Mufasa predicts that the Leopard will incur the ire of the animal kingdom as he struggles to meet the gruelling demands of the Itinerant Manna Flamingos. Mufasa knows that the animals are fickle and with every passing year, the Leopard’s popularity will plummet. Before long, the animals will once again yearn for a lion’s roar. And so, Mufasa hopes, the Leopard’s reign will herald the return of a Lion King.