That’s a great question! Although lions are often called ‘The King of the Jungle’ for their incredible hunting abilities, some animals can kill lions. Even adult lions (especially those that are already injured or weak) can be killed by hyenas, elephants, or crocodiles (when they go to drink water). Younger lions and ill lions are more likely to be killed by another animal.

Lions can also seriously injure or kill each other due to fights among prides (lion groups) or for food.

Lions also face pest-caused health problems. These are problems that you might be more familiar with affecting your pet cat or dog, like ticks and infections.

Notably, the largest single threat to lions is humans. Humans have historically killed or greatly reduced almost all of the world’s lion populations. Now, we live in a time when people are trying to save lions, both in the wild and in zoos.