The African Lion (Panthero Leo). Also called Simba in Swahili, meaning king. Unfortunately, the African king is in decline in may parts of Africa. Consequently only around 20,000 remain.
Amongst South African populations. There has been some increase in Lion numbers. These include the following countries:
- South Africa
- Botswana
- Namibia
- Zimbabwe
However in much of rest of Africa Lion populations continue to decline. Further concern comes as figures suggest they may have almost disappeared from 17 African countries. The worst effected areas are the West African states. Here figures suggest only 400 Lions may remain.
Also recent figures suggest that the overall population decline for Simba was more than 40% in the last 20 years.
Majestic but powerful. Lions are the most social of the big cats. The live in groups called prides. These prides consist mainly of female adults and their cubs. Dominant males reign over prides. It is however the females which carry out most of the hunting.
Watching Lions in the wild has always been a great privilege. The interactions between the lioness, cubs and rest of the pride can mesmerise for hours. It is of great concern to imagine that our grand children may never experience such sights.