African Lions On The Decline

A study has found that the number of lions in Africa is rapidly dropping and could be halve in 20 years.

17:35 29 October 2015

A recent study has found that lion populations in unprotected areas in Africa is rapidly dropping and that it could be halve in 20 years. For this reason, the authors said that the lions should be upgraded to an endangered species in Central and West Africa. They are currently categorized as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

 

The population decline, the study adds, can be blamed to loss of habitat, hunting, and a demand for traditional medicine.

 

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, says "many lion populations are either now gone or expected to disappear within the next few decades".

 

The authors added that Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe are having a success in protecting the lions with that they call “small, fenced, intensively managed, and funded reserves. It added that a reduction in lion numbers could also change the local ecosystems, "with the lion no longer playing a pivotal role as apex predator.”