African Lion - SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund

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DietLions hunt in groups. They prefer hunting in the morning or at night. They wait in ambush, encircle the prey, and then takeit down by using their claws to attack. The act of striking usually results in a tear of the prey’s aorta. Hence, it bleeds todeath. Most often, lions attack antelopes, gnus, buffalo and zebras, but in the national parks of Botswana they even huntyoung elephants and hippopotami.First, the mouth is eaten, intestines and organs follow. Lions also enjoy eating the entrails of ruminants, as they are highlyrich in vitamins. Whoever is initially at the kill and begins eating first claims primacy. However, lions do eat collectively.Unlike leopards they will eat carrion. In fact, they account for 1/7th of a lion’s diet. An adult wildcat will typically eat up to20 animals a year.© SAVEReproductionFemale lions become sexually mature between the age of three or four years. Males can smell the hormone odor femalesspread when they are in estrus. That is how they know it is mating season. For this purpose, males have a specific organcalled the "Jacobson-Organ", which is found in the lion’s palate. The male cat pulls its upper-lip back and opens its mouthin oder to perceive the lioness’ hormone level. However, it can not mate with a female if she is not willing to. Willingnessis projected when a lioness lays down on her stomach, thereby allowing the male to mount her. Females are generally inheat for five days. During this time copulations take place up to 40 times a day. The actual ovulation does not occur untilafter mating. If the male happens to be reproductively weak the female will seek a different mating partner.Breeding cycles can depend on the amount of prey. Often females of a pride breed synchronously. This serves to raise thecubs’ chance of survival, as there are no older cubs that eat the younger ones food. Lion offspring are blind the first twoweeks after birth. They are nursed for 6 months and aren’t weaned from their mother until after a year. They weigh abouttwo kilos when they are born. As a result of food shortage, negligence and the takeover of power by other males, only20% of lion cubs live to experience more than 2 years of life. 27% of all cubs die from the hierarchy invasion of anothermale lion. In order to increase the survival rate of a cub and to protect them from hunters, the females relocate todifferent hiding places every three to four days. During this process, they hold their cubs so they can not be traced. Lioncubs are not just nursed by their mothers, they are raised collectively. After about six months the young lions begin to eatmeat.When they are four months old they join their mother for the first time on a hunt and watch and learn. They do not fullymaster their hunting skills until they are two years old. They can not roar until then either.
EnemiesAccording to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) there has been a 50 % decline of the lionpopulation in the past 30 years. Some experts even speak of a 90% reduction. Fact is, whereas in 1980, there were anestimated 250,000 lions, today they only number 20-30,000. The IUCN has red-listed them by giving them the rank of a"threatened species" (rank three). The cause for their level of endangerment is man, as lion hunting has always been afavorite past time to humans.Reasons for a lion’s threatened species status1. Trophy HuntingRoughly, since the beginning of man time, humans have been huntingfor lions. Today's vast hunting industry is proof enough. It is norm forhunters to hunt male lions. Overall, a total of 4-5000 lions are bred soman can hunt. Often, hunting farms offer lion killings for 16,000 dollars.Apart from the decline in lion population, the hunt for male lions alsoresults in a constant change of pride leader. When the head of a pridedies, a nomad usually takes over and kills the cubs. Such a chain ofeffects occurs in such short intervals that consequently, the death rateof cubs increases to 70%. Female lions may kill offspring that is notfrom a pride leader as well. Thus, a young lion’s chance of survivalincreases when a nomad coalition seizes a pride.2. Confrontation with farmersTime and again, farmers kill lions out of protection for their herds.Naturally, such farm herds are easy prey to lions that have wanderedout of the parks or their territory to find food. In addition, lions areeasily lured away beyond their borders when their prey is in search ofwater. However, there are many projects and ways that can preventlions from killing farmer’s herds. But unfortunately, farmers usuallychoose the easy way out and simply shoot the predators.Although they do get compensated by the government for their loss,there are regulations that are difficult to fulfill. The farmers must beable to prove that animals are missing and were killed by wild cats.Other ways of prevention are driving the herds into stables at night (lions are night active), 24 hour supervision by dogs(studies have shown that lions tend to avoid watch dogs), or erecting pens to keep the lions out and the herds in.Furthermore, wildlife parks could move nomad lions to more remote parks, as the nomads seem to be the ones thatkeep wandering back to the same farmyards. Additional solutions to avoid lion-wandering are to build water reservoirsand provide enough prey in the wildlife parks.Fact is, we must find a way to ensure the survival of this species, despite man. And the first most important measures totake are to raise awareness and approach the matter professionally.
Page 1 and 2: © SAVELars GorschlüterSAVE Africa
Page 3 and 4: Conservation of African Lions (Pant
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African Lion - SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund

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