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Africa's Lions in Crisis

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Africa's Lions in Crisis CONTENTS ABOUT PANTHERA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 Panthera, founded in 2006, is devoted exclusively to preserving 2 wild cats and their critical role in the world’s ecosystems. THE CECIL EFFECT Panthera’s team of leading biologists, law enforcement experts and wild cat advocates develop innovative strategies based on POPULATION STATUS 4 the best available science to protect cheetahs, jaguars, leopards, lions, pumas, snow leopards and tigers and their vast landscapes. THREATS 6 In 50 countries around the world, Panthera works with a wide variety of stakeholders to reduce or eliminate the most pressing threats to wild cats—securing their future, and ours. SOLUTIONS 15 Visit panthera.org ENDNOTES 23 ABOUT WILDAID WildAid’s mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes. INQUIRIES We envision a world where people no longer buy wildlife products Panthera WildAid such as shark fin, elephant ivory and rhino horn. With an unrivaled Karen Wood Christina Vallianos portfolio of celebrity ambassadors and global network of media 8 West 40th St., 18th Floor 333 Pine St., Suite 300 partners, WildAid leverages nearly US$200 million in annual pro New York, NY 10018 San Francisco, CA 94104 bono media support with a simple but powerful message: “When [email protected] [email protected] the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too.” Visit wildaid.org ABOUT WILDCRU David Macdonald founded the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) in 1986 at the University of Oxford. Now the foremost University-based centre for biodiversity conservation, the mission of the WildCRU is to achieve practical solutions to conservation problems through original research. WildCRU is particularly renowned for its work with wild carnivores, especially wild cats, including its long-running studies on lion and clouded leopard. Its training centre for early-career conservationists, so far from 32 countries, produces experts and future leaders in global conservation. Visit wildcru.org REPORT CONTRIBUTORS Paul Funston Katarzyna Nowak Philipp Henschel Christina Vallianos Luke Hunter Karen Wood Peter Lindsey Cecil cover photo: Craig Taylor Nick Garbutt EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ew stories about an individual wild with domestic herds can lead to lions The good news is that there are solutions Fanimal have had as much global killing livestock, which in turn provokes to most of these threats to lions. Wherever impact as that of Cecil, the magnificent, retaliatory killing of lions by herders and human pressures have been reduced, black-maned lion that was illegally hunted ranchers. This is one of the top three savanna habitats, their wildlife populations, in Zimbabwe in July 2015. The massive threats in West, Central, East and parts and particularly lions, have bounced back. outpouring of grief and anger spurred of Southern Africa.2 Outside official Perhaps the single most important step significant global restrictions on the PAs, retaliatory and preemptive killing is in securing the future of lions in Africa is import of African lion trophies, and it considered the primary threat to lions.3 mobilizing massive support for effective raised the bar for hunters and governments protection and management of its system by requiring them to provide scientific Human encroachment also leads to illegal of PAs. Successful lion conservation evidence of the purported benefits of lion bushmeat hunting, a second severe requires significantly more resources than hunting to the species. threat to both lions and their prey. While are currently allocated to PAs in range bushmeat was once obtained primarily states. Outside of these areas, conflict More importantly, this tragedy focused for subsistence in rural communities, arising from depredation of livestock by worldwide attention on the plight of the today it is also sold commercially within lions must be addressed. Reducing the African lion, which is now known to be African urban markets and internationally vulnerability of livestock to lion predation racing toward local extinction throughout to markets in the United States and and encouraging local people to value much of the continent. Contrary to Europe. As bushmeat hunting expands lions’ presence are critical steps forward. popular belief, trophy hunting is a small from the forests to the savannas, vast factor in the fate of the African lion—a areas have been emptied of large wildlife, relatively minor battle in the larger war especially the medium to large ungulates There is hope for the future of on lions that has caused their populations such as wildebeest, zebra, buffalo and Africa’s lions—the threats are to plunge by more than 43% in the past impala on which lions subsist. Even the known, the solutions exist, and two decades to just around 20,000. In the largest PAs are affected by bushmeat the global passion to save this same period, populations in West, Central poaching, including the Serengeti where emblematic species is evident— and East Africa are collectively estimated tens of thousands of wildebeest are but the world must come together to have declined by 60%. killed in snares each year.4 In addition to mobilize its response in the to a depleted prey base, lions are often same way it did a year ago to The loss of lion habitat to agricultural caught and killed in the snares poachers implement effective reform. expansion is the underlying factor that indiscriminately set for the lions’ prey. In gives rise to all major threats to lions. Mozambique’s Niassa National Reserve, Having lost at least 75% of their original snares are the biggest threat to lions, habitat over the past 100 years, lions now causing 52% of mortalities.5 occupy only about 8% of their historical range and are reported to have already vanished from 12 African countries. “ As Africa’s human population grows Lions have suffered a 43% exponentially—from 1.2 billion currently to 2.47 billion in 20501—more land is population decrease over the needed to house people and produce past two decades. the required food to sustain them. Cultivated land area in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to increase by 21% and New threats are emerging, including a livestock by 73% within this same period. growing trade in lion bones and other As human occupation of African savannas body parts. In addition to local African expands, interactions between lions and use of these products for ceremonies humans become more frequent. Lion prey and rituals, lions are being poached as a species compete with livestock grazing substitute for tiger bones in Asia. in Protected Areas (PAs). Close contact BEYOND CECIL: AFRICA’S LIONS IN CRISIS | Page - 1 THE CECIL EFFECT here are many reasons why Cecil’s had banned lion trophy imports earlier to show that their programs actually Tstory resonates with the media and in the year, reportedly in response to enhance and protect wild populations.12 public: the fact that the lion was named and lobbying against canned hunting.8 Major This represents an ambitious standard well-known to researchers and tourists in airlines, including Delta, United and rarely achieved without concerted effort Hwange National Park; the fact that he American Airlines, announced that they and ongoing verification. Only a few cases was a radio-collared animal; that he was would stop carrying hunting trophies meet these criteria. killed for “fun” by a wealthy American; from lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros the tearful announcement of his death and buffalo,9 joining British Airways and It is important to note that well before by a popular U.S. TV host; and the viral Virgin Atlantic, which already had bans in Cecil’s death, some African countries that spread of photographs and commentary place on the carriage of hunting trophies.10 allow lion hunting had begun taking action, on social media. While the hunter was not heeding the scientific consensus that ultimately charged with a crime, these In January 2016, following the publication poorly managed hunting is unsustainable. factors galvanized a fateful moment into a of a devastating study showing that most In recent years, Mozambique, Tanzania, global movement to avenge Cecil’s death. African lion populations were declining Zambia and Zimbabwe have enacted sharply, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service significant reforms on lion hunting Since that day, numerous governments, granted endangered status for the West practices, including reducing their corporations, advocacy groups, and and Central African lions, and threatened quotas for lions. At times, both Zambia science-based organizations have taken status for East and Southern African lions and Zimbabwe have suspended lion action. Several Western nations moved under the Endangered Species Act.11 hunting for multi-year periods to allow to tighten restrictions on the import of populations to recover. lion trophies. France and the Netherlands U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director banned lion trophy imports outright, Dan Ashe stated that the listing would The positive actions of these countries while the United Kingdom issued a sharp “raise the bar significantly” for African and the Cecil Effect notwithstanding, lions warning to the hunting industry and lion trophies by requiring documentation in much of Africa are in freefall. governments in countries permitting lion proving that the hunts had been hunting to improve their performance or conducted in a sustainable manner. In face a ban on trophy imports.6,7 Australia addition, source countries would need Cecil in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Paul Funston Page - 2 “One year ago, with the loss of Cecil, the world responded unequivocally that it stands with Africa in saving the lion. Sadly, we have since lost hundreds and possibly thousands of lions. The species is now approaching the point of no return in many countries. Saving this extraordinary animal requires the international community to convert their outrage over Cecil into action and dollars supporting African governments, people and initiatives fighting to save the lion.
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