Hunting events by Westerns drive Africa’s remaining 23,000 captive lions to extinction
Date
8/11/2024 4:38:36 AM
(MENAFN) On August 10, Lion Day is observed, drawing attention to the plight of captive lions who are subjected to a grim fate for the entertainment of tourists, particularly from Western countries, with the U.S. being a significant contributor. These lions, taken from their natural habitats in Africa and raised in captivity, spend their lives behind bars, only to face slaughter under the guise of hunting events.
Wild lions, which once roamed vast African savannas, have seen their populations and habitats drastically decline due to human activities. At the start of the 20th century, there were approximately 200,000 wild lions, according to estimates by the Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. However, by the century’s end, the population had plummeted to about 33,000 due to factors such as hunting, leading to a 43 percent decrease since 2001. Today, only an estimated 23,000 lions remain in the wild, confined largely to protected national parks in countries such as Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The dramatic reduction in lion numbers is accompanied by the loss of nearly 95 percent of their historical natural habitats. Conservation research typically focuses on wild lion populations, excluding captive lions from global estimates. Captive lions, born and raised on specialized farms for commercial purposes, lack the skills necessary for survival in the wild and do not develop the natural behaviors of their wild counterparts. These lions, kept for the entertainment of tourists and often used in hunting events, represent a tragic contrast to their dwindling wild relatives.
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