Fare Thee Well Scarface
FARE THEE WELL SCARFACE
Fare Thee Well Scarface : This week we say Fare thee well to Maasai Mara’s most popular lion Scarface. Scarface was the oldest lion in Maasai Mara and was popularly known for his scar across his eye. Scarface died at the age 14; he died peacefully in Mosiara at 1pm in company of a couple of wildlife personnel who were there to give him comfort.
The lion that earned his name Scarface from his famous scar, died on the 11th of June 2021 and we dearly be missed by the entire wildlife community local and global. Reports from Kenya wildlife services and the World Heritage Species state the lion died of natural causes in a statement released by the World Heritage Species on June 11th on their social media page it said “We are heartbroken to announce that the legendary Scarface has passed away today of natural causes in his beloved home Mara home.”
The death of Scarface though sad doesn’t come in as much as surprise; this is because, Lions have a life expectancy of 10 – 14 years. So for Scarface to die at age of 14, he had lived up to the species’ life expectancy age.
Scarface was the most popular lion in Maasai Mara known as the ruler of the Maasai Mara Jungle; he was loved by many wildlife enthusiasts and well-wishers in Kenya and across the globe.
Scarface is remembered as a strong lion that had great endurance and preserved through several storms in his lifetime. The lion triumphed through a number of injuries that resulted into some limps in his life and also the scar on his eye opened up quite a number of times; times that needed a vet doctor’s intervention to prevent the lion from getting infections and to keep the lion healthy.
Scarface got the scar on his eye at 4 years old during one of his adventures with his brothers when he was struck by a spear thrown at him by a Masaai cattle keeper in a case of self defense; the cattle keeper was protecting his cattle from Scarface who seemed charged to devour the whole herd at that time. This strike was deadly for the lion and he narrowly survived death but thankfully he was treated and he got better.
Scarface and his three brothers Morai, Hunter and Sikio for years commanded the territories along the Mara River mostly around the Malaika and Ashnil camp. For the last 3 years though after the death of hunter it’s been Scarface, Sikio and Morai.
Scarface was famous for being naughty but also very charismatic with a great fascination to his cult. He had a unique untamed mane with a patch of black and strong roar that made him superior over his peers.
The popular lion appeared in a number of documentaries that covered most parts of the lion’s life together with his three siblings. The group of four known as the crusaders or musketeers was a great amusement to Maasai Mara’s visitors and others who enjoyed them from the screens.
In his 14 years of life Scarface has attracted over a 1000 tourists to Maasai Mara National Park Kenya, which has had a great impact on Kenya’s tourism over the years. The whole wildlife community with miss Scarface and he will be greatly and dearly missed by his Maasai mara family.
Maasai Mara is the most famous game reserve in Kenya and East Africa. The Mara is also one of the largest and oldest game reserves in Kenya. It’s located in south western Kenya and its joins with Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. Maasai Mara Game Reserve is home to over 200 wildlife species including the big five lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes and Rhinos; among other animals are the wildebeest that have seasonal migrations from Mara to Serengeti.
