Graffiti with Punctuation... And also Dinosaurs: It's Simple Stupid

Image ©Panthera

It's simple stupid:

100 years ago, there were an estimated 200,000 wild lions in Africa. They now number less than 35,000.

In the past 60 years alone, lion populations have reduced 95%, with an estimated continued loss of roughly 5 lions/day.

It is estimated that there are only about 3,000 mature male "trophy" lions left in the wild.

As clearly depicted in the graphic, lions are being confined to isolated islands of habitat, which increases their risk of extinction.

Lions now only exist in 28 countries (27 in Africa, 1 in Asia), and out of those, only 7 countries - Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe - are thought to each hold more than 1,000 lions.

The IUCN lists lions as "Vulnerable", while in West and Central Africa, they are classified as "Endangered"... Only 406 (273–605) lions remain in the whole of West Africa, representing less than 250 mature individuals occupying a range estimated at 49,000 km2, or 1.1% of their historical range (the West African Lion is genetically distinct from other African lions).

Severe climate variability (i.e. climate change-induced droughts) effects prey animal availability, and subsequently influences carnivore species ranging patterns: Wide-ranging species, like lions, are forced to leave protected areas such as parks and reserves in search of food… bringing them into conflict with humans.

Retaliatory killing (for livestock death) and habitat loss/environmental degradation play significant roles in the declining lion population.

Conservation strategies, such as compensation for livestock and drawing on local cultural values and knowledge to mitigate livestock-carnivore conflict can be extremely effective (87 – 99% drop in retaliatory killings where employed), as are programs where locals see tangible benefits for having carnivores on village land.

But the science is clear about hunting: There is no conservation benefit. Lions decline in number where they are hunted.

At least 7 African countries allow lion hunting: On average, 500 lions/year are shot for sport, with about 80% of their heads and skins shipped back to the U.S.

When one mature male "trophy" lion is killed, many other lions could die along with it: Adult male lions normally form coalitions, with 2 controlling a pride (about 8 females with up to 20 or so cubs at any one time) and associated territory. When one dies, the surviving male is left vulnerable to wandering males looking for prides/territories of their own. These marauders will oust the remaining ruling male, and then kill all the immature offspring (i.e. the cubs, and the adolescent males who aren't driven away).

A typical legal lion hunting operation employs under 15 people. The sum total contribution of all legal lion hunting to a typical country's GDP is much less than 0.5%.

Photographic tourism, on the other hand, is extremely lucrative. In one particular country's reserve alone, nearly 200 people are employed, and the increase in government revenue over that of legal hunting is over 1,300%.

If trends continue, depending on what report you read, African lions could essentially be extinct in the wild before 2100, which will result in biodiversity perturbations causing the extinction of other species.

Again... It's simple stupid.