“What kind of animals does everybody want to see?,” The gregarious safari guide asked the group of six eager tourists as they waited for their open-aired Jeeps to arrive.

Everyone had come on this tour to see wildlife across the African savanna and the species they were most excited to see were of the iconic (read: predictable) variety.

Elephants and lions and cheetahs, oh my!

After the adults had called out their requests, a teenager who had traveled with her parents spoke out.

“Warthog!,” She called out.

The rest of the group seemed surprised – clearly whether or not they saw a warthog was not of any real concern. Warthogs are not considered the most photogenic of creatures, after all.

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa (Credit: Bernard Dupont/Wikimedia Commons)

In contrast, the guide was unfazed by the ask. “Awww!” he said “You’re a Pumbaa fan.”

For anyone who has lived under a rock for the past 24 years, Pumbaa makes up one half of the infamous sidekick duo in the cult Disney classic, The Lion King. He is an anthropomorphized warthog who, along with his meerkat bestie Timon, helps Simba (our lion protagonist) retake his rightful place as leader of the animal kingdom.

(Credit: Disney/Giphy)

“It happens all the time,” Ibrah Mkwizu, founder and operator of Afrishare Trekking & Safaris, tells Moving Giants. “When westerners go on safaris, they talk a lot about The Lion King.” Of course, it isn’t just limited to the one film. “A lot of times, they’re interested in seeing an animal because it was their favorite character in a book or a movie. Adults too.”

The anthropomorphizing of fictional animals is nothing new. Animals take on human traits and behaviors in tales that go all the way back to Aesop. The contemporary landscape looks no different. From classic favorites like Winnie-the-Pooh to newer fan favorites like Pua the Pig in Disney’s Moana.

In case you're lost, anthropomorphization is defined as "the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to an animal, plant or object."

A highly contentious question in the conservation community is whether anthropomorphizing animals is a net positive or a net negative for engendering human empathy toward animals. It’s a complicated question and there is no straightforward answer. There are examples of it both being a boon to conservation as well as leading to the devastation of an entire species.

Here, we break down the arguments.