Species Hang in the Balance

Panthera Leo

ANATOMICAL PROPORTIONS:

6.5-9 ft. long (tip-to-tail)/ 3.5-4 ft. tall/ 120-250 lbs.

POPULATION (APPROXIMATE):

16,500-30,000

CONSERVATION STATUS:

VULNERABLE

DISTRIBUTION & HABITAT:

Open savanna grasslands, scattered by Acacia trees, across central and southern Africa; scattered pockets reside in specialized habitats, like swamplands, or dense forest

DIET:

Mostly large mammals, preferably wildebeest and zebra

SPECIES THREATS:

Of course, as one of Africa's big five game species, the lion was ruthlessly hunted for sport, especially throughout the 19th and most of the 20th centuries.

In line with other large carnivores, the lion's more pressing threat is its conflict with a growing human population; this causes both habitat loss, as well as persecution. Outside of protected areas, when lions claim livestock, they are almost certainly and immediately killed by farmers. Farmers also take pre-emptive, equally deadly measures, by setting various traps and snares to catch predators before they enter livestock enclosures.

One of the more distressing signals of a humanity-disrupted ecosystem, is co-infection. Global warming is a two-fold danger for lions: 1) as the average temperature on earth rises, certain diseases thrive 2) these diseases have a higher rate of infection, due to the organism's depleted immune system, which is also caused by climate change. Lion populations have been hit hard by co-infection, especially over the past two decades.

UNIQUE FACTS:

Lions are the only big cat to live primarily in social groups, called prides, which generally consist of females, offspring, and one male. The male lion serves mainly as the pride protector, while lionesses do most of the hunting and rearing.

Lions hold a central place in human folklore, mythology, artwork, culture, history, and overall fascination; they are one of the most significant animal symbols in Western, Asian, and African cultures. Hence, lions represent many positive human qualities, like power, virility, might, pride, royalty, eminence, nobility, and bravery (to name a few!). Perhaps it is because of the lion's majestic, "larger-than-life" appearance, and punctuated by its magnificent mane, this animal has captivated the human imagination, for thousands of years.

Where there were once several lion species across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, now only two remain (and the Asiatic lion is critically endangered). Probably the first wave of extinction arrived during ancient Roman times, with the advent and popularity of the Gladiator Games. These games continued for more than 400 years, and in more than 70 amphitheaters across Europe and the Mediterranean. Because violence was central to these games, animals were often trapped and imported, to be killed en mass. Some Gladiator events involved the slaughter of thousands of exotic and local animals, for the mere pleasure of amphitheater audiences. Of course, the games eventually ceased, but the blood-lust of ancient Romans left an indelible mark on various ecosystems, especially local ones---it is highly likely that the regional lion species (called the Barbary, or Atlas lion) went extinct at that time, nearly 2,000 years ago.

DEVOTED ORGANIZATION:

Lion Conservation Fund

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