a Human is a Filling Meal

A curious, rather morbid, pair of statues.  They stand next to each other on a high wall in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris:

The next statue shows the Lion having enjoyed his meal and settling down for a nap.

To be fair to this urban carnivore, he was terribly hungry.  Look how famished he was:

I would be curious to know the history behind these statues.

Photos by the clever and courageous E.Browne.