Lions are Critically Endangered in West Africa: 250 Adults Face Extinction

The African lion is one of the most iconic species from the savanna. With their hunting tactics and impressive size, lions are some of the largest big cats in the world. Now, researchers have found that the African lion is facing extinction across the entire West African region.

It's important to assess species' population numbers. That way, conservationists can plan where and how to focus their efforts. That's why researchers set out to survey the lions in West Africa.

"When we set out in 2006 to survey all the lions of West Africa, the best reports suggested they still survived in 21 protected areas," said Philipp Henschel, one of the researchers, in a news release. "We surveyed all of them, representing the best remaining lion habitat in West Africa. Our results came as a complete shock; all but a few of the areas we surveyed were basically paper parks, having neither management budgets nor patrol staff, and had lost all their lions and other iconic large mammals."

In fact, the researchers found that West African lions only survive in five countries: Senegal, Nigeria and a single trans-frontier population on the shared borders of Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso. These West African lions are genetically distinct from the better-known lions of famous game parks in East and southern Africa.

"West African lions have unique genetic sequences not found in any other lions, including in zoos or captivity," said Christine Breitenmoser, co-chair of the IUCN/SCC Cat Specialist Group, in a news release. "If we lose the lion in West Africa, we will lose a unique, locally adapted population found nowhere else. It makes their conservation even more urgent."

In fact, the researchers found that there are only an estimated 250 adult lions restricted to four isolated and severely imperiled populations. In addition, only one of these populations contains more than 50 lions. If action isn't taken, this could mean that we may soon see their complete disappearance from West Africa.

The findings reveal how important efforts are for conserving species. With fewer than 35,000 lions in total remaining in Africa, new steps will have to be taken in order to preserve this species.

The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.