The roar of the metaphorical lion

Lions were once much more numerous and widespread, ranging from Africa and India to Europe and the Americas, but they fell victim to the expansion of another highly socialized land mammal known for its periodic bouts of violence: homo sapiens.

In the wild, lions meet their match in the crocodile, but it is hyenas that tread most closely to the lion's lair. Part of what makes The Lion King an edifying entertainment is the way it deploys known patterns of animal behavior, in this case the social nature of lions and opportunistic depredations of hyenas, to illustrate human concerns - the decay of a onceproud dynasty led by Lion King Mufasa is challenged from within by the nefarious, ne'erdowell lion Scar, who is aptly surrounded by greedy hyenas when he unseats Simba, the loyal son, rightful heir and once and future Lion King.

Studies of top predators have shown that the call of the wild and the cull of the hunt both serve to regulate ecosystems that might otherwise be subject to degradation from overgrazing, overpopulation and bovine indolence. In places such as the Yellowstone Park in the US, where wolves have been introduced to keep the deer and coyote numbers in check, not only do all species continue to thrive in their respective niches, but new niches are created by the growth of trees and plant life (a direct result of fewer ruminants grazing) which in turn enriches the riverine ecosystem for beavers, fish and other creatures who may never come into contact with wolves, but nonetheless benefit from their stabilizing presence.

Lions are a top predator. Yet widely beloved lion lore, from the Bible to Broadway and from Herodotus to Hollywood, tends to show lions as august and noble, if not cuddly creatures.

But I think it could be argued that even fierce lions in the wild bring about a kind of order and stability that is broadly beneficial to all creatures, a la The Lion King, if they stick to script and don't kill except as minimally necessary to eat or protect the pride. When lions roar, the mice and meek of the Earth have nothing to fear, but the hyenas and wildebeests will tremble.

As such, the lion is an apt metaphor for a leader keen on eradicating corruption. Top predators in the wild such as lions do indeed go quiescent between hunts, but when they awake their ecological function is to cull the fat from a system grown flabby, wobbly and out of balance by restoring the natural equilibrium. A world without lions would be a world without the natural discipline necessary to guide the well-being of all creatures great and small.

The author is a media researcher covering Asian politics.