Endangered Species: The Asiatic Lion Erica Younkin Period 4b APES homeosapianssaveyourearth.blogspot.com thedailypingu.blogspot.com

Panthera leo persica

Description of the Asiatic Lion Weight: 200-275 kg Height: 90 cm Length: 200-280 cm larger tail tuft and smaller mane than African Lions Prey on deer, antelope, wild boar, and livestock Asiatic lions are at the top of the food chain Only humans typically kill them

Where is it found? Was once found throughout Arabia, Persia, and India Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Western Gujarat of India is the only habitat Was once found throughout Arabia, Persia, and India en.wikipedia.org

Why is it endangered? Poaching especially as a result of conflict with humans outside of Gir Protected Area Habitat degradation Lions fall into wells in arable land surrounding the Gir Protected Area www.ens-newswire.com

How many individuals? There are around 300 individuals left. If work is not done to develop a new population, the current population has a possibility of going extinct fairly quickly if a catastrophic event were to happen. However, the fact that they live in a protected area is saving them. projectbiwan.com

Why are the lions important? They are predators that keep the ecosystem in balance by killing other organisms. indianmirror.com

What is being done? Gir Lion Sanctuary Project of 1972 Relocation of 50 maldhari nesses outside Gir these are settlements of people who lived in the Gir forests and reared cattle Some are kept in zoos and being bred to increase the population www.wti.org.in

What can be done? Increase range of habitat in which lions can live Establish a second population of lions somewhere else necessary because the single population can be affected very easily and very negatively by various events

How successful are the current efforts? The population of Asiatic Lions went from a low of 180 individuals in 1974 to about 411 individuals in 2010. Efforts are fairly successful, yet a lot of work needs to be done to make this species sustainable.

Sources Asian Lion. (n.d.). National Geographic. Retrieved January 31, 2014, from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/asian-lion/ Conservation issues and WWF-India's interventions. (n.d.). WWF India. Retrieved January 31, 2014, from http://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/priority_s Welcome to asiaticlion.org. (n.d.).Welcome to asiaticlion.org. Retrieved January 31, 2014, from http://www.asiaticlion.org/asiatic-lion-history.htm