The world’s favourite eco-warrior artists, Gillie and Marc, are announcing their latest sculpture in their global conservation project, #LoveTheLast. How can there be Africa without the iconic lion? We must act now we must save the lion. If we are to allow the continued practices that are still encouraged in the majority of Africa, the King of the jungle will be no more. Lion numbers in countries that allow this are being decimated, despite the claims of “sustainable offtake”. They are also hunted for their bones, thought to have magical properties if you turn them into wine. They are hunted by big trophy hunters looking for their next big wall mount or rug. Then there are the most disturbing threats. Lions are therefore forced to come closer to the lives of humans, often being killed for this by angry farmers when they attack their livestock. Once able to roam the entire African continent, they are now restricted to small pockets, pockets that are still shrinking. As young lions leave their pride to form their own, they are increasingly finding it difficult to find anywhere suitable. This means greater competition for food and territory, with not enough to go around for the once thriving populations. We are pushing them out of their habitats because of our swelling cities and increasing needs for land for agriculture, making their available space to live and thrive smaller and smaller. Habitat loss is the single biggest threat to lions. Lion populations have decreased by half in only 25 years!īeing at the top of the food chain, they only have one predator, us. With conservation efforts in parts of the continent increasing numbers, the vast majority of the populations are struggling. They are in fact listed as vulnerable, but this is not the most accurate representation for lions in much of Africa. Lions aren’t the first animal that is thought of when thinking about endangered species. Unfortunately, it is possible, but only if we let it be. It’s a reality that we never believe we could ever reach. To imagine a world without them is impossible. They’re the Kings, the emblems of wildlife, the stars of one of the most iconic movies of all time.
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