LION. KING. How a 19 year old lion fathered 35 cubs… in a year and a half. This is the wild story of a lion named Frasier—Frasier the Sensuous Lion—who became a science wonder the world over in 1972. After all, how many lions have movies and songs made about them because of never before seen animal behavior?

You see, Frasier defied what was previously known about lion breeding habits—any animal’s really. Did you say 35 cubs? In just 18 months? And, wait, how old?

Also, in this video: learn a math equation about how just one lion can take over Los Angeles and find out how zoos manage breeding programs today with their menagerie of creatures great and small.

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In their own words. Well, approximately their own words—they are wild animals after all.

CREDITS
Video by: Tom McNamara
Animation: Beth Wexler
Narrator: Dave Pettitt
Group Digital Director: Amy Schellenbaum
Editor-in-Chief: Corinne Iozzio

Media
8mm home video of Lion Country Safari (Scott Stodard), “Frasier the Lovable Lion” (Frasier Productions, Inc., Sandler Films, Inc., Four Star International, Inc.), “Frasier (The Sensuous Lion)” (Sarah Vaughn and The Jimmy Rowles Quintet; 1974 Mainstream Records), Getty, “Here Comes the Circus” (1942), “I Love A Parade” (Looney Tunes, 1932), LIFE Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Orange County Archives, Prelinger Archive, Pixabay, “Who’s Who In The Zoo” (Federal Writers Project, 1937)

Music
APM, Vik Sharma

Thank You
Mary Ellen Amodeo, AZA Reproductive Management Center, Katie Belloff, Jess Boddy, Erin Chapman, Digitize NY, Sonia Epstein, Meg Lampert, Jason Lederman, Lion Center at the University of Minnesota, Lion Country Safari (Palm Beach County, Florida), Steve Oftelie, Dr. Craig Packer, Dr. David Powell, Pat, Donna and Todd Quinn, Saint Louis Zoo, Russ Smith, Scott Stodard, Species360, Zoological Association Of America

#popularscience #FrasiertheSensuousLion #animalbehavior #popsci #science #zoo #zoos #lion #lions #mammal #pantheraleo #Frasier #curious #wildlives #wildlife #sarahvaughan #animal #animals #lionvideo #animalvideo #education #learning #edu #educational #biology #naturalhistory

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– [Narrator] This is Frasier the Lion.

You can tell it’s him because his tongue

is hangin’ out.

See (laughing).

There it is.

Also, because he’s about to mate.

(upbeat instrumental music)

Have you ever wondered
about the number of lions

at your zoo?

You probably don’t think

about lion reproduction too much, do ya?

Well, consider this.

If one female lion in
captivity has a litter of cubs,

and they all survive and breed –

for reference, zoo
lions can start breeding

before their third birthday –

and then those offspring
all survive and breed,

and then the next generation the same,

and so on,

it’d take about 37 years
until that one family tree

of descendants, from that one lioness,

needed to eat the entire population

of Los Angeles everyday (roaring)

just to survive.

That is why zoos in the United
States (elephant trumpeting)

so often administer birth
control to their animals.

Chimps take the pill,

same one humans use.

Giraffes get hormones in their food

while lions, who would otherwise
take over L.A. (roaring)

have slow release hormone implants.

Or, it’s as simple as
keeping males and females

of the species (roaring) separate.

Populations are kept in check.

Breeding, when it happens,

is controlled.

Pairs are matched based
on their genetic makeup

which sometimes, means a
sort of mail order mate.

There could be a rhinoceros

flying overhead right now
(helicopter chuffing),

on her way to see if some
male rhino measures up.

Isn’t there something kind
of wonderful about that?

But there was a time before
all this population regulation.

Let me tell you a story about a lion

that actually did take over Los Angeles.

His name is Frasier.

Remember the lion with
the hanged-dog tongue?

Frasier the Sensuous Lion.

(mysterious music)

– [Film Narrator] And now,
Clyde Beatty (growling),

the most fearless man in all the world.

Alone in a cage with a herd
of man-eating African lions.

– [Narrator] Frasier was
a circus lion for years,

until 1970 when the Mexican
circus that owned him,

went out of business.

Here was Frasier, age 19.

Old for a lion, circus, or otherwise.

By all accounts, done for.

Set to be put down.

Toothless, 100 pounds underweight,

his tongue always out because
the muscles that held it

gave way.

Poor Frasier.

But, it wasn’t the end
for the old Panthera Leo.

Somehow, he wound up in
a shipment of big cats,

bought on consignment from the cirus,

and bound for Lion Country Safari:

a drive-thru animal preserve
in Laguna Hills, California,

just south of L.A (twinkling music).

The events from here on,

unfolded in a thoroughly unexpected way.

– [Pat] I was on NBC
because of the old guy.

Wasn’t it Frasier the Lion?

Frasier the Lion was mating a female

during that time (laughing),

as old as he was.

But anyway–

– [Narrator] That is Pat Quinn.

The former wildlife
director at Lion Country.

In 1972, Pat was on T.V.

because, in less than a year
and a half at the safari,

Frasier fathered 31 cubs
with 6 lionesses (plopping).

One of those lionesses was named Linda.

In the wild (elephant
trumpeting), a lion lives 10,

maybe 15 years.

In captivity, 30 is possible.

As for Frasier’s 19 years,

picture grandpa having 30 plus toddlers.

Frasier, to say the least,

was prolific.

As the LA Times reported
at the time, quote,

“It takes an ordinary male lion 18 months

to father maybe only 12 cubs.

Frasier had more than double that rate.”

Pat’s wife, Donna,

also remembers Frasier.

– [Donna] I just know
that they made a movie

about him – it bombed (laughing).

I don’t think it did well.

You know, he was famous
for frequent copulation

but that’s normal with lions.

No reason why a 20-year-old lion,

if it’s horny, doesn’t
mate often (laughing).

– [Narrator] The movie,
“Frasier the Sensuous Lion,”

was later renamed,
“Frasier the Lovable Lion.”

A talking animal movie in which Frasier

instructs a virgin scientist
how to seduce women.

– Good morning, Frasier.

– Quite a female you have there, Norman.

Looks ripe.

– She works here in public relations.

– I think she really likes you.

– Oh Frasier, really.

– [Frasier] Oh no, I can tell.

Has she licked your ear yet?

– Frasier.

– Well, that’s the way
my females let me know

when they’re ready for a jungle joy.

– [Narrator] Like Mrs. Quinn said,

“It bombed.”

(splashing)

He was a lion celebrity.

A photo spread in LIFE Magazine,

a ballad by Oscar-winning
songwriter, Johnny Mercer,

and a recording of that
song by jazz legend,

Sarah Vaughan.

Here, I’ll play it for ya.

♪ “Oh, cruel is fate ♪

♪ But it’s never too late,” said Frasier ♪

♪ “Announce the feast ♪

♪ I’m the King of the
Beast,” yawned Frasier ♪

♪ “But king or not, I am
certainly hot,” said Frasier ♪

♪ And when you are hot
and hittin’ the spot ♪

♪ The action will amaze ya ♪

– [Narrator] Also, fan mail came at a rate

of 1500 letters a month.

Many from old men inquiring

about the lion’s diet.

– [Todd] If I recollect,

I know they were trying to
introduce some younger males

to a group of females

but the problem with that

is they would end up fighting,

and someone’s going to die.

– The Quinn’s son, Todd,

also worked for Lion Country Safari.

What he said confirms a
lyric in the “Frasier” song.

♪ Younger studs brought in for breeding ♪

♪ Wound up beaten, bruised, and bleeding ♪

♪ Every dawn the same
thing kept occurring ♪

– [Narrator] According to LIFE Magazine,

the safari was trying
to have their lionesses

start a family.

Quote, “Attempts to introduce
strapping young males

to the group failed.”

As a joke, someone suggested Frasier.

The next day,

Frasier was on his back,
surrounded by lionesses.

The females even brought
him food and stood guard.

He was pride king,

seemingly defying Darwin’s theories

on survival of the fittest.

The LA Times reported, “Wife after wife,

turned up pregnant.”

– [Packer] I mean, having your
tongue hanging out like that

cannot be a sign of good genetic health.

– [Narrator] That’s Dr. Craig Packer,

professor and head of the lion center

at the University of Minnesota.

He has a theory on Frasier’s sex appeal.

– [Packer] So, lions, like a
lot of other animal species,

have a sort of innate incest to boot.

If those young males (roaring)

were in anyway genetically
related to the females

in that colony (roaring),

then there would’ve been
very little sexual interest.

So, if animals grow up together,

they make the assumption
that they’re siblings,

and they’re just not turned on.

– [Narrator] Just to interrupt,

Todd Quinn recalled how
Frasier was the only newcomer,

that the rest were raised
together since they were cubs.

– [Packer] In this case,

if a stranger comes to town (roaring),

that can really excite all the ladies,

that’s what I guess happened

because he certainly

was no impressive (roaring)
physical specimen.

Frasier who is 19-years-old,

you would think he would
not present as a good bet

for surviving the next two years.

– [Narrator] He didn’t.

(depressing music)

In the end, Frasier died.

On July 13th, 1972.

Two months after LIFE Magazine

published his photo spread.

An old circus lion turned sex symbol.

In under two years,

he had 35 cubs in total,

with seven lionesses.

Also, a movie and a song.

The LA Times published an
account of Frasier’s autopsy,

which reads like a search
for the fountain of youth.

15 scientists performed the postmortem.

He had, quote, “Beautiful organs.

His prostate, kidneys, liver, heart,

and cardiovascular system

were perfectly healthy.”

“Externally,” they wrote,

“Frasier wasn’t much to look at.

But internally, well,
he was just remarkable.”

(cheering in background)

The team even took tissue
samples for further study.

The official cause of death was pneumonia.

Though, one doctor doctor
offered another cause,

“I feel he loved himself to death.”

(upbeat jazz music)

Also, subscribe to Popular Science

on YouTube for more “Wild Lives” episodes.

Next up, Alfred Hitchcock’s classic,

“The Birds,”

isn’t entirely fiction.