- Threats38: (1) indiscriminate killing to protect livestock (shooting – poisoning). The lion no doubt lives on farmland. The human having expanded into the lion’s range is now killing it because it attacks livestock (2) prey base being depleted (3) habitat loss due to human activity (4) habitat fragmentation due to human activity
- Sport hunting of the lion is surprisingly considered a way of generating income that can be used to finance lion conservation. This seems an incredibly weak method. It is also flawed, it seems to me, as the “offtakes” (kills) are too high. This is one of the lion facts that upsets me.
- Disease also kills lions.
- Lions in Tanzania kill people at a relatively high rate. This must be a threat to the lion. 400 lion related deaths from 1997-2007. One of the lion facts that begs the question, why? The reason is no doubt because of something we do.
- The lion is considered “Vulnerable” under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assessment.
- Lion population has decreased by 30% over the past 20 years. But lion population measurement is uncertain. Estimated 39,000 lions in 2002 about half being outside protected areas.
- See IUCN Red List for Cats
- Conservation39: (1) P. leo (African lion) listed in CITES Appendix II (2) the Critically Endangered Asiatic lion subspecies P. leo persica listed in CITES Appendix I (See CITES in relation to cats).
- There are protected areas but see above (large number are outside these areas)
- Wildlife tourism encourages preservation of the lion.
- Central African Lion Conservation Strategy: (1) reduce lion-human conflict (2) conserve and increase lion habitat (2) conserve and increase wild prey base. Southern African Lion Conservation Strategy: Vague and wordy but it must include reducing the threats – commonsense really but the battle is gradually being lost it seems.
- Asiatic lion: (1) reduce human/lion conflict and (2) establish 2nd wild population. One of the overridding lion facts is that the human is pushing out the lion.
- Some people like to shoot lions. One of the shocking lion facts. As they are relatively scarce and protected, businesses breed and raise lions in South Africa for the sole purpose to allow people can shoot them dead in confined spaces: Canned Lion Hunting in South Africa. For this they pay high prices.
- The leaves of actinidia polygama (matatabi plant) are very attractive to cats and are especially useful as a sedative for lions40 (e.g. in zoos). This plant has a similar effect as catnip on the domestic cat. See Catnip and Matatabi.
Lion Facts Notes – the lion facts on this page were found from these sources:
1 Wild Cats of the World – Sunquists – lion facts
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion#Physical_characteristics
3 Topsell’s histories of beasts – South M (ed) 1981
5 Comparative growth of wild male and female lions Smutts & Robinson and CRC handbook of mammalian body masses Silva & Downing
6 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zygomatic_arch
7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittal_crest
8 The life of the lion Guggisberg CAW 1975
9 Wild Cats of the World by the Sunquists
10 Ecology, demography and behavior of lions in two contrasting habitats – Hanley JP, Bygott JD and Packer C 1995 – lion facts
11 Water use by the Kalahari lion Eloff FC 1973
12 Hunting success of lions in a semi-arid environment – Stander PE and SD Albon 1993
13 Foraging behavior and hunting success of lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park – Van Orsdol KG 1984
14 Cooperative hunting in lions: The role of the individual – Stander P.
15 Etosha National Park – Stander – lion facts
16 Wild Cats Of The World page 292 Sunquists
17 Wild Cats Of The World page 291 Sunquists
18 The Serengeti Lion – Schaller GB
19 The Serengeti Lion – Schaller GB
20 Wild Cats of the World page 293 Sunquists
21 Life with the king of the beasts – Schaller
22 Kalahari lions break the rules – Owens M and Owens D.
23 Wild Cats of the World page 293 Sunquists
24 Wild Cats of the World page 293 Sunquists
25 Demography of Lions in Estosha National Park – 1991 – Stander PE
26 http://www.lionresearch.org/faq.html – lion facts
27 Wild Cats of the World – page 294 – Sunquists
28 Wild Cats of the World page 294 Sunquists
29 Cooperation and competition within coalitions of male lions 1982 – Paker C and Pusey AE
30 Molecular genetic analysis of kinship and cooperation in African lions – Packer et al.
31 The Serengeti lion – Schaller
32 Reproductive success of lions 1988- Packer C et al.
33 Wild Cats Of The World page 296 – Sunquists
34 The Serengeti lion – Schaller
35 The Serengeti lion – Schaller
36 Age determination of the African lion – 1978 – Smuts
37 Smuts, G.L. (1982). Lion. Johannesburg: Macmillian South Africa (Publishers)(Pty.) Ltd.. pp. 231
38 http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/15951/0
39 http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/15951/0
Lion Facts: Pictures: Published under creative commons licenses
