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Survey - The Future of Big Cats
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Watch the video, the lion is not walking through the "open Savannah"
It's walking through jungle.  *This image is copyright of its original author Photos: The first lion in 20 years has been spotted in the West African nation of Gabon. The species had previously been declared 'locally extinct.' Scientists say it is likely he is in search of a mate. Hide Caption  *This image is copyright of its original author The lion was spotted on footage collected through a chimpanzee study in Bateke Plateau National Park led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology's Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee and The Aspinall Foundation  *This image is copyright of its original author A lot of protected species disappeared from Gabon in the '90s, including the African wild dog, spotted hyenas and, eventually lions. Footage from the study has captured more species in recent months. Bateke Plateau National Park  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author http://www.thousandwonders.net/Akanda+National+Park  *This image is copyright of its original author While I'm sure lions made their way into the Savannah of the Gabon they certainly made their way through the rain forest as well.  *This image is copyright of its original author Female lion peers through the thick foliage of a montane rainforest in Ethiopia. Photo by: Bruno D’Amicis/NABU. https://news.mongabay.com/2012/08/king-o...inforests/ "Calling the African lion ([i]Panthera leo) the ‘king of the jungle’ is usually a misnomer, as the species is almost always found in savannah or dry forests, but recent photos by the Germany-based Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) document lions in Ethiopian rainforests. Taken in the Kafa Biosphere Reserve, the photos show a female lion hiding out in thick montane jungle. [/i] “We are delighted with this news and look forward to studying these exceptional animals in their unusual habitat,” said NABU’s Vice-President Thomas Tennhardt in a press release. “To manage potential conflict with local communities, NABU will set up a dedicated conservation fund.” NABU has been working in the region since 2006. Long known to locals, the lions are actually thought not to be permanent residents, but possibly passing through Kafa Biosphere Reserve in the dry season. Kafa Biosphere Reserve covers 760,000 hectares of montane rainforest and preserves the last place on Earth where wild coffee (Coffea arabica) still grows naturally. The reserve is home to at least 106 woody plants, 100 birds, and 48 mammals. Although mighty, lions are gravely imperiled: habitat loss, prey depletion, hunting, poisonings, and conflict with humans have decimated Africa’s lions. In the last twenty years alone, the lion population is believed to have declined by 30 percent, prompting the species to be listed as Vulnerable on the IUNC Red List. " |
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