The wildlife in Africa has been in the hearts and minds of the world since a long time. The extensive savannas, the great rivers, and the impressive mountain ranges boast a huge diversity of fauna including the representative animals that are symbolic of the wild spirit of the continent. One of the most fearsome of these animals, the lion can be called the King of the Jungle due to its enormous mane and the dominating demeanor. The future of the last lions of Africa, unfortunately, is becoming less certain as the proportion of their population is decreasing in number because of numerous environmental pressures and human actions.

This article will explore the fate of the remaining lion population in Africa, their current condition, the problems that they have to endure, and the efforts that are underway to sustain the species. The conservation organizations, the communities and the governments will also be discussed with regards to their importance in conserving the legacy of the last lions of Africa.

The Lion Population Decline: A Stark Reality

At one time, lions were found in the greater part of Africa, and in some parts of Asia and Europe as well. But their population has been reduced drastically following habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, poaching and other threats. The number of lions in Africa was about 200,000 in the early 1900s and reduced to less than 25,000 in the early 21 st century.

The cases with the final lions of Africa have been growing more and more dire. The International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed lions as vulnerable with some of the populations critically threatened. The lions are predominantly found in sub-Saharan Africa and live in the savannas, grasslands, and the open woodlands as well as in a small population within the Gir Forest National Park in India.

Loss of habitats is one of the greatest causes of the decline of the lion. With the increasing human population in Africa, there is an increase in land clearance to facilitate farming, settlements, and development of infrastructures. This encroachment in the territories of the lions limits their space to hunt, roam and live. In the absence of these critical habitats, the lions have to be restricted to smaller and smaller fragments and their survival probabilities are very low.

Human-Wildlife Conflict: Lion vs. the Local Communities.

Human-wildlife conflict is also another big threat to the remaining lions in Africa. Lions also approach populations of humans and livestock as their populations grow into regions where forests existed previously. Local people might end up killing lions when they attack their livestock in pursuit of food which usually happens using poison, traps, or fire arms.

Besides direct retaliation, lions are usually persecuted as they are perceived to be a danger to human life and livelihood. In this way, farmers and herders, in general, perceive lions as dangerous predators that need to get out of the landscape. This struggle has been intensified by the immigration of more people to rural regions where lions are yet to be eliminated, making the debate on the conservation of wildlife and livelihood tough.

Although wild animals are common prey of lions in some cases they even hunt livestock and in regions where the natural population of their prey has been exhausted by poaching or habitat destruction. This has caused a vicious circle with the depleting numbers of the lion population being viewed with ever growing aggression by the community that considers the animals a danger to their existence.

Poaching and Trophy Hunting: Dark Side of the Lion Conservation.

Another issue, which is controversial in the case of the survival of the last lions of Africa, is trophy hunting. In certain regions of Africa, lions are hunted as sports and rich hunters pay big sums of money to get the opportunity to kill a lion. The practice has generally attracted a lot of controversy with conservationists stating that it may be compromising conservation efforts as far as the lion populations are concerned, whereas those who support such practice believe that it is a source of necessary funds to run conservation programs.

Though regulated trophy hunting can result in money used to conserve and add to locals economies, it can equally result in killing of the most impressive and the most genetically valuable lion. Most of the trophy hunters would want to hunt the older dominant sever males with big mane that is often linked to the genetic power of the lion. By eliminating them, it is possible to interfere with the social hierarchy of lion prides that has long-term effects on the population.

Besides, the possibility of illegitimate poaching is high as lion is a targeted animal with its bones, skin and other body parts being sold at the black market but utilized in different ways, such as traditional medicine and exotic souvenirs. Nevertheless, there is still illegal hunting of the last lions of Africa in spite of the efforts made to regulate the hunting industry.

Conservation: Last Lions of Africa.

Amid these adversities, conservationists and the conservation organizations have been striving hard to save the remaining last lions of Africa. A number of measures have been implemented to protect the population of lions, and some have had good outcomes.

1. National Wildlife, National Parks.

Restricting human activity and creating protected areas on which lions can be protected is probably one of the most effective methods to insure the survival of these lions. National parks and wildlife reserves can offer safe forests to lions and other wildlife as they can be allowed to flourish in the natural habitat they like without the fear of poaching and destruction of their habitats.

An example of this is Botswana which has emerged as a world leader in the conservation of lions. The nation boasts a big percentage of the lions found in Africa and the government there has passed stringent laws against poaching. Moreover, the Okavango Delta of Botswana, a UNESCO world heritage site also has a flourishing population of lions. Introduction of large reservation areas has enabled Botswana to provide space to the lion in order to hunt, procreate and have stable populations.

There are other nations like Tanzania and Kenya which have gone a step further to create the national parks and reserves where the lions are used as their sanctuaries. Among the world of major wildlife conservation areas, Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and the Maasai Mara National Reserves in Kenya are mentioned and they both have a huge number of lions which appeal to both tourists and conservationists.

2. Community-Based Conservation Programs.

Besides conservation efforts by the government, community-based conservation efforts have also been proven influential in conserving the remaining lions in Africa. The aim of these programs is to develop a feeling of ownership and responsibility to local communities so that they can be empowered to become active participants in the conservation of lions.

An example of one of this is the Lion Guardians Program in Kenya. This program collaborates with the Maasai herders who live in the area, educating them about how to keep their animals safe against the lions using non-lethal means, these include predator-proof fences and livestock guard dogs. Herds are rewarded with monetary assets and other prizes in exchange and this will lead to minimization of the human-wildlife confrontation and the communities will have vested interest in the conservation of the lion population.

3. Eco-Tourism: A Sustainable Revenue Stream

Eco -tourism is another factor which plays a significant role in the conservation of the lion and other wildlife in Africa. Through the sustainable tourism, nations have the potential of creating both revenue to be used to directly assist in conservation and job creation to the local people.

Wild animals such as lions have their share of tourists throughout the tourism season in Africa, particularly the safaris in the popular wildlife reserve all around Africa, such as the Kruger National Park in south Africa, the Etosha National Park in Namibia and the Chobe National Park in Botswana. Scenic revenues used in eco-tourism contribute to anti-poaching programs, wildlife surveillance, and community to reach out to the community programs that lay emphasis on human-lion co-existence.

4. Research and Monitoring

Continuous research and monitoring activities are essential topics to the knowing of the behaviors, genetics, and movements of the lion populations. Such organizations as Panthera, a conservation organization of wild cats worldwide, carry out field research in order to monitor lion population and their health. They use this information to come up with improved management approaches and see to it the survival of the lions in the wilderness in a long-term perspective.

It has been through technological advances like GPS collars and camera traps that have enabled researchers to collect very important information about the movement and territories of lions so that conservationists are able to develop a more specific and efficient protection strategy.

The Future of the Last Lions of Africa.

Nevertheless despite the struggle the last lions of Africa may have hope. As conservation continues, laws against poaching become tougher, and the communities are involved in these programs, it is not impossible that sooner lions may find hope in Africa. Their numbers have greatly declined in recent decades but there are still some areas of health lion population that give a ray of hope that the animals can be reinstated to normalcy.

It is pertinent that the international community still takes the security of these magnificent animals as the priority and invest in the conservation measures that will help in making sure that there will still be the lions of Africa roaming on the savannah and forests of this great continent. We should strive to save these majestic creatures and the landscapes that support them to the sake of the lions, the African ecosystem and the future generations.

Awareness campaigns, conservation supporters and sustainable tourism can all help protect the future of the last lions in Africa.