A specimen of Panthera leo, photographed in the early 21st century.

Item #: SCP-4689

Object Class: Neutralized

Special Containment Procedures: N/A

Description: SCP-4689 referred to a pride of Panthera leo1, consisting of two adult males, seven adult females, three juvenile males, and four juvenile females. No notable anomalous characteristics existed beyond their species— all SCP-4689 instances possessed physical and mental parameters that were commonly reported among Panthera leo prior to their extinction.

SCP-4689 were discovered living in an isolated part of Angola in March of 2143, after several farmers reported 'giant, hairy cheetahs' mauling their livestock. Reports of living lions began circulating among the media. Upon the discovery and containment of SCP-4689, the Foundation discredited these reports using the cadavers of genetically modified hyenas.

By order of the Ethics Committee, all SCP-4689 instances were euthanized in October of 2150. This was considered the most humane option due to the advanced age of all adult members of the pride, and genetic bottleneck that would be faced by the juveniles. Previously, the Ethics Committee had considered measures to release SCP-4689 into the wild. However, due to the fact that the public has accepted the extinction of Panthera leo, and that the niche once filled by this animal has since been overtaken by cheetahs, hyenas, and leopards, this was viewed as a large-scale veil disruption.

Footnotes

1. More commonly known as the African Lion, a species of large predatory cat rendered extinct in 2037. "Pride" was a collective noun used to refer to large groups of this animal, similar to a "pack" of wolves or a "flock" of birds.

NOTICE FROM THE RECORDS AND INFORMATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

The above document was recovered in a storage room at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Ohio, with a phone number for the nearest Foundation site written on the reverse side. It had been attached to a sign meant for display within the park, bearing a quote from author Frank W. Lane: "It will be a poorer world if the time ever comes when children have to ask: 'What was a lion?'".

Analysis of the zoo's grounds found evidence of temporal manipulation having taken place. All clocks in the park showed different times, abnormal growth patterns were present in the plant life surrounding the storage room, and temporal rot had occurred in a bathroom stall near the park's entrance. The Ethics Committee is expected to debate the issue of whether or not the preservation of endangered species falls under the Foundation's purview in early 2020.