New Delhi: Every year on August 10, World Lion Day is observed to pay tribute to the mighty King of the Jungle and to celebrate the majestic animals that keep us enchanted with their regal beauty and strength. Big Cat Rescue, the largest accredited sanctuary in the world dedicated to lions first came up with the day. The day, apart from honouring the beasts, also acts as a platform to highlight their declining numbers and the significance of protecting them. Since the turn of the 20th century, the population of lions has been decreasing because of several factors including loss of habitat, conflict between humans and wildlife, and of course, rampant poaching.
How is the lion conserved in Asia and Africa?
The situation in Africa
The IUCN Red List has listed the lion as vulnerable. Lion is mostly found in Africa and there are several large and well-managed protected areas in the continent to house its population. Thanks to the lion, wildlife tourism has been developed in Africa which is bringing in good revenue for park management and local communities, serving as an added motivation to protect them.
Due to their dwindling population, today, one can find lions mostly in Southern and Eastern Africa. According to estimates, in the late half of the 20th century, the population of lions decreased by 30 to 50 per cent, mainly due to human interference and disease. In 1975, it was estimated that their population had decreased by half to 200,000 or fewer since the 1950s.
Notably, the Odzala-Kokoua National Park in Congo was once a massive home to the lions but none exists there today. In Western Africa, lions thrive in three protected areas, mostly in one population in the WAP protected area complex, shared by Burkina Faso, Niger and Benin and it is considered Critically Endangered. There is reportedly a lion population in the Waza National Park in Cameroon and also in the Arly-Singou ecosystem in Burkina Faso. The Lion Conservation Strategies were formulated in 2005 for Africa and it aimed to protect the habitat of the animals, conserve their wild prey base and their coexistence with humans sustainable.
The conservation of lions in Asia
There was a time when the lion was found throughout Asia. But now, the population of Asiatic lions can be found only in Gujarat’s Gir National Park and surrounding areas of Saurashtra. While their population was around 180 in 1974, it increased to 400 in 2010. The population rose to 523 by 2015. However, human settlements close to Gir National Park have led to man-animal conflicts.
The IUCN Red List has listed the lion as vulnerable. Lion is mostly found in Africa and there are several large and well-managed protected areas in the continent to house its population. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
