Name and Populations

There are two subspecies of lion:Panthera leo leo African lion - IUCN estimates between 20,000-30,000 wild lions in Africa today -they are listed as VulnerablePanthera leo persica Asian lion - approximately 350 lions in Gir forest, Western India - they are listed as Critically Endangered

Age - Height - Weight

Male African lions live between 12-13 years, females for between 14-16 years.

Body length: 137-250cmWeight: 110-272kg

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For more information see www.davidshepherd.org

Characteristics

• Mostly found on savannah but can also be found in varied habitats including woodland and desert.

• Only member of the cat family to be described as truly 'social'. Typically lions live in groups of 12-16 individuals, called prides. These include 4-6 related lionesses and their cubs, as well as 2 males who are usually with the pride for a breeding season (24-36 months)

• Competition for prides is intense and can even result in the death. If a new male takes over and there are cubs under one year old in the pride, typically the male will kill the cubs to encourage the females to come into season to have offspring of his own. This is known as infanticide. Females within a pride often give birth at the same time and rear the cubs together.

• Lions will fiercely defend their territory from members of the same sex. Male lions that have a territory of their own regularly scent mark them and roar to let other lions know to stay away. These roars can be heard up to 5 miles away.

• Lions are carnivores, with female lions needing around 5kg of meat a day and male lions 7kg. Lionesses carry out between 85-90% of the hunting, while males protect their territory and the pride. An apex predator, lions play a very valuable role in the ecosystem, balancing the numbers of herbivores in their habitat, for example zebra and wildebeest.

• Lions have also been known to tackle young, or weak rhinos and elephants, and will scavenge carcasses they find. They will also steal kills from other animals, such as Painted dogs and Hyenas. They kill 95% of their prey between dusk and dawn, preferring low light to avoid detection. Lions are well adapted for short bursts of speed and can run at up to 50 mph in pursuit of prey. Hunting as a team they achieve around a 30% predation success rate. Their muscular shoulders and strong front paws enable them to grasp and bring down their prey. Although the lionesses do the majority of the hunting, the male lions get to eat first.

• Uniquely in the cat family, adult male lions have a mane of hair around their necks. It shows female lions how fit and healthy they are and protects the lion's neck during fights. In hot climates lion’s manes tend to be less thick and long than in colder climates. Older lions have darker manes.

• Lions are only active for around 4-6 hours a day, the rest of the time they spend resting and sleeping.

• Lions drink regularly when water is available, during dry spells they can get all of their water requirements from their prey or plants.

• Lion cubs are born with brown rosettes on their fur, these fade as they reach maturity but may occasionally still be faintly seen on adult lions. Cubs have pink noses which gradually become darker as they grow, by around 6 years old most of the nose is black.

• Their tawny coloured fur is perfect camouflage for their savannah habitat, blending in beautifully with the grassland. This enables them to get close to prey before launching an attack, reducing the need for a long, drawn out chase.

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Predators and Threats

Our work with lionsUganda: The plight of Uganda’s lions is being brought into the spotlight by a

DSWF funded project. The programme aims to investigate and protect

lion populations in two key wildlife areas; South Muchinson Falls

Conservation Area and Kidepo Valley National Park in the northeast of

the country. With your support we can determine the size and ranges

of Uganda’s lions and evaluate the threats to them. A number of lions

are being collared and assessed by vets to better understand the

disease that is impacting their numbers and to find a solution.

India: DSWF was a key funder of the project to protect the only Asiatic lion

population left in India’s Gir Forest in Gujarat.

David Shepherd Wildlife FoundationSaba House, 7 Kings Road, Shalford, Guildford, Surrey GU4 8JUTel: 01483 272323 Website: www.davidshepherd.org Registered Charity No: 1106893

Donate to DSWF and you will help:

• Run anti-poaching patrols to keep remaining lions safe.

• Educate local children about the value of their

native wildlife.

• Work with local communities to ensure they do not

need to rely on illegal wildlife trade.

• Carry out research into lion numbers and prey distribution.

Find out more about our work with lions and other

endangered species at:

www.davidshepherd.org

About the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) supports a range of innovative and far-reaching conservation projects throughout Africa and Asia that have anti-poaching, education and undercover investigation at their heart, all working to save endangered wildlife and their habitat.

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• Killed in retaliation for ‘stock-raiding’ (occasionally killing livestock)• Increasing human-lion conflict, due to an increasing human population taking more and more land previously used by lions, for

agriculture etc. Less available space increases the chances of lions coming into contact with people, they are therefore more likely to be killed as a ‘problem’ animal

• Caught in snares and traps set to catch animals for the bushmeat trade• In some parts of Africa the number of herbivores is rapidly decreasing, due to habitat loss and the bushmeat trade, this means

less prey for the lions• Trophy hunting – people hunting lions for ‘sport’• Disease – small lion populations are more vulnerable to disease• Traditional Chinese Medicine – with tiger parts becoming increasingly hard to obtain due to their low numbers, the illegal trade is

now turning to lions