PANTERA LEO

Considered as the symbol of the African Savannah, the lion is probably one of the most majestic animals in the world.
Males can reach up to 2,5-3 meters long and weight up to 250 kilograms. Females are smaller, reaching up to 150-180 kilograms.
Today, lions can be found in Sub-Saharinan African, but there is also a small population in Western India. Populations are in general, highly fragmented.

The most important difference between lions and the rest of the big cats is th fact that theses ones are sociable, living in packs controlled by one or several males (normally brothers), several females and their cubs. From time to time, males controlling the groups are challenged by other males (normally young ones that recently left their families) and in case these new ones beat them during a fight (sometimes they can even die during a fight) they will take over the old ones as owners of the pack.

 

 

But if there are already cubs in the pack, females will not accept the new males, and they can even be agressive to them. The only way the new ones can get their respect is by killing their cubs (normally while females are hunting). This way, females will be later ready to give birth to their own cubs.

Lions inhabit savannahs and grasslands. They are rare in dense forests. They normally use human roads and pathways to go through their territory (reported by CROW’s director Andy Martin). They can be more diurnal than the rest of big cats. However, in places where they are hunted by humans, they prefer to be active during the twilight.
The African Lion is listed as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN, and its populations have suffered a serious decline in the last few decades.

 

 

Since the early 1990s, we have lost around the 43% of their population. Lions are very rare outside protected areas in Africa. In 2004, a population of 17,000-47,000 individuals was estimated. In 2005, different strategies started to be taken along Africa towards the conservation of Lions.

They consisted on reducing factors thar lead to the fragmentation in their populations, such as maintaining suitable habitat, and keeping livestock in improved enclosures, which also helped to reduce the impact this species had on domestic animals and that way the conflcits human-lions could be prevented and reduced.

 

Author: Juan Alférez, Biologist, Conservation Rangers Operations Worldwide Collaborator