Adout the lion in danger

Adout the lion in danger
Adout the lion in danger

Adout the lion in danger
Lions in danger
The number of African lions being shot by trophy hunters must be radically cut if the species is to survive,argued David Macdonald from the Zoology department in a lecture at the Zoological Society of London this month.
The Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU),of which Dr Macdonald is Director,conducted a four-year research programme in Hwange National Park,Zimbabwe,led by Dr Andy Loveridge.Of the adult males that were tagged or radio collared in the park,63% were shot by hunters in the surrounding hunting areas.The resulting low density of males leaves prides of lions short of male protection,increasing the probability of infanticide by a rival male.
Concern is rapidly growing that lion populations across Africa are in free-fall as a result of spreading human development,habitat destruction,and hunting.Latest estimates suggest that there may now be no more than 23,000 lions left across the continent,from a population that might have been 10 times greater only 20 years ago.
Potentially inadequate protection against hunting has been accepted and even supported by many Western conservationists.The theory is that local people will refrain from killing lions,even if they threaten livestock,if every so often a rich hunter pays thousands of dollars to kill one himself.Dr Macdonald says that the hunting quotas are,however,simply too high to be sustainable.He believes the numbers should be radically scaled down,with local communities compensated for the associated loss of income by charging much higher fees:perhaps as much as $80,000 per animal.
'We need a formula that gives as much money as possible to communities to enable local people to value their lions,' said Dr Macdonald.'A lot of it can be done with photo-tourism but it is possible that strictly regulated hunting may be needed as well.