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                     Effort Launched to Save Africa's Lions

   by Kim Lewis

   An upcoming celebration that highlights the importance of lions to the
   environment --World Lion Day -- takes place on August 10.
   The African Lion & Environmental Research Trust, or ALERT, a
   conservation and restoration charity, is one of the organizations that
   will help to kick off the event.  The non-profit organization said the
   lion is a national icon in Africa.  But the lion population has
   plummeted 80 to 90 percent since 1975 due to a growing human population
   and illegal poaching.
   World Lion Day aims to highlight their plight.
   ALERT said the cats are an important component of the food chain,
   helping to keep animal populations in balance, and they said there is
   an overwhelming need for reintroducing disease-free lions back into the
   wild. Many countries depend on lions for millions of dollars in tourism
   annually.
   ALERT aims to generate long-term solutions
   so African communities and wildlife can live in harmony.  The NGO is
   the first to successfully introduce designated areas for the protection
   and rehabilitation of lions.
   David Youldon is the Chief Operating Officer, COO, for ALERT.  "World
   Lion Day was an idea based around our experience that when we're
   talking about lions with people, so few people appreciate that this is
   a species that is under severe threat.  There are certainly people
   suggesting that they could go extinct in the next 10 to 20 years, and
   we were looking for a way to try and raise awareness of the issue, and
   call for people to support individuals and organizations, so that in
   Africa and in India as well-- to try and save the species," explained
   Youldon, who also pointed out that several problems are putting lion
   survival at risk.
   "Lions are faced with many threats, but the biggest one is the loss of
   their habitat, as humans continue to encroach on the land that the
   lions need, even into protected areas.  And that's coupled with a loss
   of the food source for lions, and humans are poaching out many of the
   species on which lions rely.  Once you have those two things come
   together, habitat loss and prey-based depletion, lions are being forced
   into conflict with people," said Youldon.
   The conflict is often seen when lions attack livestock, which provokes
   herders to retaliate.  The COO said it is a conflict that lions simply
   can't win.
   "These lion populations that are left are now isolated from each
   other.  So, they're becoming inbred because there's no natural gene
   flow between populations.  There are disease threats, and that seems to
   be increasing as humans and our livestock interact with wild animals
   more frequently.  And it will probably become more of an issue as
   climate change affects how diseases transfer within populations," he
   explained.
   As predators, lions keep the natural balance by killing the old and
   sick of their prey.  Youldon also emphasized the impact this predation
   has on the wild life population.
   "They also actually control the number of animals of some other
   species.  For example, zebra and buffalo are very dominant herbivore
   species, and their numbers are mostly controlled by [predators], rather
   than natural death or death and disease.  If those species are not
   being controlled by lions, then their numbers can grow, and they can
   start to out compete other herbivore species. Therefore you get a loss
   of overall biodiversity within an area.  Without lions, those smaller
   predators can increase in number and cause an even greater conflict
   with humans than lions do because they live in much higher densities
   than lions do."
   Youldon stressed that lions are revered throughout many cultures around
   the world, making them an economic benefit the economy through tourism.
   He explained that "most people coming to Africa,  that is the one
   animal that they want to make sure that they see.  So an area with
   lions draws tourism.  The lion is also culturally important, not just
   within Africa, not just in India where they currently exist, but the
   lion is a key symbol for so many cultures whether they're American, or
   British, or German, or French, or Chinese, you'll find the lion very
   deeply held within almost every culture on earth."
   ALERT and its partners will spend the coming months drumming up
   attention and support for World Lion Day which will be celebrated on
   August 10 in Livingstone, Zambia.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/lions-africa-india-alertl/1670543.htm
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/lions-africa-india-alertl/1670543.html