Pieter Kat, the CEO of LionAid, a charity working for the cause of wild African lions, has warned that the status quo over the decline of Africa’s lions can no longer be tolerated and will further drive the iconic cats towards the precipice.
Kat, in an essay titled Saving Africa’s Lions which is part of a new book titled The Last Lions, has also called for implementing effective and broad-scale programmes by local and international NGOs operating in Africa. These should be supported and augmented by local governments, according to the essay by Kat, an excerpt of which was recently published in Smithsonian. Unless this is done, Africa’s lions will continue to decline, according to Kat.
The expert also attributed various causes behind the decline of Africa’s topmost land predator and carnivore. The loss of areas where lions once roamed, their natural prey being hunted for the wild meat trade, subsequent conflict with humans, the controversial practice of trophy hunting as well as the loss of corridors which left lion populations isolated, causing the gene pool to shrink were the main factors behind the reduction in African lion numbers, as per Kat.
The Last Lions has been edited by Don Pinnock and Colin Bell, with a foreword by David Quammen.
A description by the book notes that African wild lion populations have plummeted from 500,000 individuals in the 1950s to just 20,000 today.
“The Last Lions is a powerful rallying cry voiced by scientists and conservationists to save the lions before it’s too late, with stunning wildlife photography,” the description further adds.
It offers 275 “extraordinary images that capture the lions’ distinctive beauty and strength…”
The book also looks at impacts of the lion trade, lion farming, cub petting, canned hunting, and the lion bone trade. It also puts the spotlight on issues such as past and present distribution and geography, rare white lions, frontline conservation efforts, dynamics and behaviours, paleontological history and the future of lions.
“The Last Lions is an unforgettable homage to one of the world's most magnificent animals, and an essential call to ensure their future,” it concludes.