TO A remarkably accurate degree of prophecy, this 1968 photograph from Calderpark Zoo not only presents an uncanny likeness to the opening scene of Disney’s The Lion King but even manages to feature a cub named Simba as its star – 32 years before the film’s release, how’s that for the circle of life!

Before we get ahead of ourselves, Disney certainly did not select the name of a main character in their $45m animation on the basis of a wee cub in a Glaswegian zoo. Simba is, of course, the Swahili word for lion; which surely inspired both.

There’s confusion on the reverse of this photograph, with our archivist seemingly unsure as to whether the image is of a "pre-show" or the "main-show" for holidaymakers in the zoo’s lion enclosure. Judging by the expression on the girl at the front-left, it’s to be hoped that it is only the warm-up because she’s not looking particularly impressed.

Established in 1947, Calderpark Zoo closed its gates for the final time in August 2003, with a debt of around £3.5m and a wave of animal cruelty allegations.

Back in 1962, however, Simba was hand-reared by head keeper Joe and his wife Margaret, in the family home and alongside their six-month-old daughter. He would later move to a new home further south, before returning to defeat his uncle and reclaim Pride Rock. Or perhaps that’s just the film?