Lion infant mortality is 50% in the african wilderness. They can only catch food once every 3 to 5 days, resulting in starvation for half their cubs. To me this is just a waste of meat that could have saved precious lives .  yes , contrarily to butterbeasts , lions do play a positive role in the ecosystem , they help keep it in check  ( 2 examples : Herbivore Population Control => they kill big herbivores , leaving enough resources for the smaller ones , Disease Control => they pray on sick and weak animals therefore the herd stays healthy ) . What do butterbeasts do except for stuffing their gaping maws all day long and cursing those who are healthy ? they are a burden . If this was the savannah , they would have to die for the ecosystem to survive .