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| Etosha male credit: US Person |
Botswana is leading the way imposing a moratorium on lion hunting since 2007. It is time for all countries in lion range to do the same because their numbers and their habitat are reaching dangerously low levels. A new study published in the journal Biodiversity Conservation finds the African lion
(Panthera leo leo)has dropped from around 100,000 only fifty years ago to as few as 32,000 today. Habitat suitable for lion has plunged by 75%. Savannah ecosystems are undergoing conversion to agriculture and urbanization. About 24,000 of these are in ten areas in East or Southern Africa. West Africa has only about 525 lions remaining and they are absent from many national parks. West African lions are distinctive, having a genetic code more closely related to Asiatic lions. As a top predator, the presence of lions in the landscape is an indicator of ecosystem health.
Besides habitat loss as the main threat African lions' continued existence in the wild is human persecution. Lion-human conflict and poaching leads to lions being speared, poisoned or shot illegally. Trophy hunting, especially for male lions, contributes to their peril. Killing pride males eliminates the best genetic heritage since rival males practice infanticide causes unnecessary conflict between prides and social disintegration. About 6,000 lions are in populations where there long term existence is in doubt. To be given a fighting chance at survival, hunting pressures should be reduced to an absolute minimum--situations involving the protection of human lives.
