The Fate of the African Lion Today

September 12, 2014 admin Africa's endangered animals, Tunde Folawiyo, tunde folawiyo africa, tunde folawiyo executive, tunde folawiyo profile, West African Lion

The recent discovery of two caged lions close to a jungle in Yucatan, Mexico, which apparently had been abandoned by a circus, has brought the fate of the African lion back to the world’s attention. The lions were left, declawed and without food or water, after a circus was driven from the area for not having the proper permits. The abandoned lions have been taken to a zoo to be cared for. A recent study spanning over five years and seventeen countries has concluded that lions in West Africa are currently facing a strong threat of extinction. West African lions, with have a genetic code separate from lions elsewhere, are not as well protected as lions elsewhere in Africa. Poaching is considered the largest threat to lions in this region.

The group Panthera, responsible for this alarming new data, is working to call attention to the problem and seeking solutions to save the remaining West African lions. Many political and economic leaders in the region share their concern for the welfare of native wildlife, among them Tunde Folawiyo, who has a particular interest in the preservation of African lions. To learn more about the interests of this Nigerian entrepreneur, see image updates from Tunde Folawiyo.

The lion is the second largest cat species living today—only tigers are larger. While lion populations once were widespread in Africa, and in some parts of Asia and elsewhere, lions are now found in the wild in just a few scattered regions in Africa, and a tiny population of Asiatic lions has been reported in India. Lions are social animals that tend to live in packs, and are predators as well as scavengers in their diets. Lions have been a popular subject of art dating back to the painting in the Chauvet caves, and can be trace through representation in painting and art through the present time. Lions are the only cat species that show distinctively different appearance in the sexes. The male lion’s distinctive mane may have contributed to the animal’s history of fascinating human audiences. Lion population decrease is attributed to losing their habit to agricultural space, hunting by humans—whether out of humans fearing for their safety, although lions rarely attack, or poaching, as lions are often killed for sport or meat—and other ecological changes resulting from modernity. Organisations working to preserve lion populations have succeeded in establishing many parks and game reserves, although the majority of these are in the southern regions of Africa. More attention and effort will be required to preserve the lions of West Africa.

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