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https://theconversation.com/trophy-hunting-will-not-save-africas-lions-so-the-uk-ban-on-imports-is-a-positive-step-for-wildlife-conservation-185907>
"Maybe you have counted lions in a zoo or wildlife park: “I see three – no
wait, there’s a tip of another tail and a flickering ear, so four, or five?”
People on safari in popular destinations where lions are habituated to cars may
have had the same experience. In the wilderness, however, lions are hard to
spot – across much of their range you don’t see them very often at all,
especially during the day.
I have spent countless nights sitting on top of my vehicle, playing buffalo or
warthog cries with a megaphone, trying to catch a glimpse of lions attracted by
these sounds. I have walked for days to find footprints or put up automated
camera traps. For every day of fieldwork there is a day of grant writing before
and a day of reporting afterwards – but yes, it is a wonderful job.
I once found lions in a part of Ethiopia where they had not been documented and
added a blob on the distribution map. Unfortunately, over the last 25 years, it
has been much more common to reduce or delete entries from our African Lion
Database.
My research shows that during this time, lion numbers have decreased by 43%
throughout Africa, and that their range has declined by more than 90%. There
are now roughly 25,000 lions in 60 separate population groups, half of which
consist of less than 100 lions. Their existence is particularly threatened
across West, Central and East Africa."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
