Experts celebrate as endangered creatures see stunning recovery: 'Successful reproduction'

Officials at a nature reserve in northern Cameroon were delighted to learn that a major conservation project is bearing fruit — or rather, cubs.

According to Mongabay, all of the lions monitored in Bouba Ndjida National Park, a protected land near the northern border with Chad, have now had cubs. The program began in 2023 when a local conservation nonprofit captured and collared three lionesses. A year later, the government caught and fitted another seven female lions with GPS collars. The northern lion population at the park is now estimated at 60 to 80 individuals, a significant portion of the subspecies' remaining wild population in Cameroon of about 270.

"All collared lionesses have had cubs, signaling successful reproduction," Matthieu Finiels of the Wildlife Conservation Society told the outlet.

Collaring large carnivores to improve conservation efforts isn't a new idea. The World Wildlife Fund launched a similar project with local officials in Zambia in 2020. By keeping tabs on predator movements, it's much easier to mitigate human-animal conflicts by giving farmers early warning. Similarly, it makes it easier to stop poachers. The information gleaned from the collars also helps inform future local conservation strategies based on an accurate account of the animal's movements and needs.

Lions have lost a considerable amount of their historic range and remain highly vulnerable to human encroachment, but there are some promising signs. Over the border in the Central African Republic, the northern lions present in the Chinko Nature Reserve have seen a substantial recovery. A rewilding project in South Africa has successfully brought lions back to the area after 150 years. Meanwhile, India's lion population has increased by a third.

As an "umbrella species," lions are critical to the health of ecosystems. They are apex predators that keep large herbivore populations in check. That prevents overgrazing, which in turn indirectly supports several other species that need the plants for shelter and sustenance. Moreover, they keep herds healthy by picking off the weak and sickly, and the leftover carcass from hunts sustains other scavengers. This critical species faces major challenges, but the stakes are clear: A healthy lion population is the cornerstone of a healthy ecosystem.