Striking images of one-eyed lion brothers have been captured. One close-up shot shows one of the lion’s eyes as completely white, making him look like Scar in the classic Lion King movie.

Another image shows one of the one-eyed 200-pound lions calmly sitting merely six-feet away from the photographer.

Educator Graeme Mitchley (51) from Johannesburg, South Africa captured incredible images of two one-eyed lions in the Kruger National Park in South Africa using a Canon SX60 camera.

Graeme was staying at the Skukuza Camp in Kruger National Park for a week when he decided one day to venture out from the camp at 5.30 am.

After only 15 minutes, Graeme came across three lion brothers who he had encountered previously as they are native to the area.

Surprisingly, two out of the three brothers present had only one eye each which gave them a very distinct and unique look in comparison to other lions Graeme had ever witnessed.

Although it is a mystery as to how the two brothers became blind, each in one eye, it is Graeme’s speculation that the two brothers were unfortunately born with only one eye each and no one had particularly noticed until they were in adulthood.

A lion expert in the area who knows the lions well had let Graeme know that he had photographed the lions three years ago when they were nomadic and that was the first time anyone had noticed them being blind in one eye each.

Graeme had actually experienced the lions as cubs as they were born in an area called Biyamiti Weir which is about 24-miles away from where Graeme saw them.

Once the three lion brothers reached a certain age, they were kicked out of their pack to avoid in-breeding and so became nomadic for a couple of years before they settled down in this area and formed their own pride.

“These lions have grown up with tourists watching them,” he

“I have watched these particular lions grow up since cubs.

“They were born in an area known as Biyamiti Weir which is about 24 miles from where I saw them as cubs.

“They are known as the Biyamiti Males. Once they reach a certain age they are kicked out of the pride by their fathers and lionesses to avoid inbreeding.

“They were then nomadic for a few years before settling in an area and controlling their own pride.”

Although no one knows for certain how the two brothers became partially blind, Graeme knows that as of at least three years ago, they were seen to both have only one eye each.

“Out of the three brothers two are blind, each in one eye as you can see in the photos and video,” he said.

“No one knows for sure how they became blind but my personal opinion is that the fact that two of them are blind, they were born like that.

“If it was just one then it could have been snake venom, a fight, or while hunting. The third brother has no issues.

“A lion expert in the area who knows the lions well photographed them three years ago when they were nomadic.

“That was the first time anyone noticed them being blind. So it was only noticeable at the age of approximately three years old.”

Although the lions have to deal in the cruel animal kingdom world with only partial sight, Graeme sees the creatures as strong and more than capable of holding their own.

“Any lion sighting is exciting but when you come across three big brutes such as these the adrenaline certainly pumps,” he said.

“It is a feeling I can’t explain.

“The blindness does not affect these lions at all.

“As you can see they are big, strong, and healthy.

“They rely a lot on their smell and hearing.”

Graeme shared the images of the blind lions on his Facebook page ‘Graeme Mitchley – Wildlife Photographer’ where many were astonished at the sight of the eye-less lions.

“I share my photos on a lot of social media sites and the reaction to lion photos is always positive,” he said.

“These photos were especially well received as these males are iconic due to their blind eyes.

“They are easily recognizable and the blindness adds to the mystery.

““I am lucky to visit the Kruger often but I never get tired of seeing lions up close.”

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One-Eyed Lion Brothers

By Shannine O’Neill

**EXCLUSIVE**

STRIKING IMAGES of one-eyed lion brothers have been captured.

One close-up shot shows one of the lion’s eyes as completely white, making him look like Scar in the classic Lion King movie.

Another image shows one of the one-eyed 200-pound lions calmly sitting merely six-feet away from the photographer.

Educator Graeme Mitchley (51) from Johannesburg, South Africa captured incredible images of two one-eyed lions in the Kruger National Park in South Africa using a Canon SX60 camera.

Graeme was staying at the Skukuza Camp in Kruger National Park for a week when he decided one day to venture out from the camp at 5:30AM.

After only 15-minutes, Graeme came across three lion brothers who he had encountered previously as they are native to the area.

Surprisingly, two out of the three brothers present had only one-eye each which gave them a very distinct and unique look in comparison to other lions Graeme had ever witnessed.


Although it is a mystery as to how the two brothers became blind, each in one eye, it is to Graeme’s speculation that the two brothers were unfortunately born with only one eye each and no one had particularly noticed until they were in adulthood.

A lion expert in the area who knows the lions well had let Graeme know that he had photographed the lions three years ago when they were nomadic and that was the first time anyone had noticed them being blind in one eye each.

Graeme had actually experienced the lions as cubs as they were born in an area called Biyamiti Weir which is about 24-miles away from where Graeme saw them.

Once the three lion brothers reached a certain age, they were kicked out of their pack to avoid in-breeding and so became nomadic for a couple of years before they settled down in this area and formed their own pride.

“These lions have grown up with tourists watching them,” he

“I have watched these particular lions grow up since cubs.

“They were born at an area known as Biyamiti Weir which is about 24-miles from where I saw them as cubs.

“They are known as the Biyamiti Males. Once they reach a certain age they are kicked out of the pride by their fathers and lionesses to avoid in-breeding.

“They were then nomadic for a few years before settling in an area and controlling their own pride.”

Although no one knows for certain how the two brothers became partially blind, Graeme knows that as of at least three-years ago, they were seen to both have only one-eye each.

“Out of the three brothers two are blind, each in one eye as you can see in the photos and video,” he said.

“No one knows for sure how they became blind but my personal opinion is that the fact that two of them are blind, they were born like that.

“If it was just one then it could have been snake venom, a fight or while hunting. The third brother has no issues.

“A lion expert in the area who knows the lions well photographed them three years ago when they were nomadic.

“That was the first time anyone noticed them being blind. So it was only noticeable at the age of approximately three years old.”

Although the lions have to deal in the cruel animal kingdom world with only partial sight, Graeme sees the creatures as strong and more than capable of holding their own.

“Any lion sighting is exciting but when you come across three big brutes such as these the adrenaline certainly pumps,” he said.

“It is a feeling I can’t explain.

“The blindness does not affect these lions at all.

“As you can see they are big, strong and healthy.

“They rely a lot on their smell and hearing.”

Graeme shared the images of the blind lions on his Facebook page ‘Graeme Mitchley – Wildlife Photographer’ where many were astonished at the sight of the eye-less lions.

“I share my photos on a lot of social media sites and the reaction to lion photos is always positive,” he said.

“These photos were especially well received as these males are iconic due to their blind eyes.

“They are easily recognisable and the blindness adds to the mystery.

““I am lucky to visit the Kruger often but I never get tired of seeing lions up close.”

ENDS