A recent study concluded that lion poaching poses a significant threat to the survival of the species, Mongabay reported.
In the past, other threats to lions were more common. Some were killed by trophy hunters, some in retaliation for killing livestock, and some by opportunistic poachers who just happened to encounter the animals. Lions also suffered from the loss of prey due to competition with humans.
Now, however, more and more lions are being deliberately sought out by hunters who are specifically looking for parts to sell, including bones, skins, teeth, and claws. Until recently, captive breeding programs in South Africa provided a legal source of these parts for international buyers, but the country stopped exporting lion parts in 2019.
The result is that poachers go hunting for wild lions, some of them taking orders for parts from their customers beforehand. Luke Hunter, head of the Wildlife Conservation Society's big cats program, said trade-driven poaching is "a defining threat to the future of Africa's lions," per Mongabay.
The impact of poaching has been severe. For example, in a part of South Africa's Kruger National Park that contained 283 individual lions in 2005, there were only 122 in 2023, meaning that more than half died.
Where once there were hundreds of thousands of lions in the wild, now there are only 25,000, and they are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
The researchers concluded that there were several potential ways to take action to protect the remaining lions, including stronger enforcement of existing safeguards against poaching, more funding for preserves, disruption of illegal trade, and looking for ways to reduce the demand for lion parts.
"Urgent action is needed to acknowledge, understand, and address this crisis and safeguard the future of Africa's lions," the report said.
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