Lion
African lion population has dropped from 100,000 to fewer than 20,000 in the past fifty years due to habitat loss, poaching, retaliatory killing and trophy hunting.
The Spotlight animal for the Fall Issue 2014 is the African Lion. According to Panthera, a non-profit dedicating to Big Cat conservation, "Lions have vanished from over 80 percent of their historic range and currently exist in 28 countries in Africa and one country in Asia (India). They are extinct in 26 countries. Only 7 countries: Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe are believed to each contain more than 1,000 lions. Lions are currently listed as 'Vulnerable' on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species; and in West and Central Africa, the species is now classified as 'Endangered.'”
I have compiled a list of web links that will direct you to articles and videos along with websites of organizations that support Lion conservation. I hope the information provided below is helpful, and thought provoking, but most importantly I hope it moves you to action. African Lion: Please click here to read a brief overview of their social structure, diet and some quick facts. Understanding the lives of lions (video): Craig Packer, Director of the Serengeti Lion Project since 1978, gives us a researcher's perspective into the life of the King of the Jungle! |