Lion Population In Africa Decreases By 96.5%, KWS Says Kenya Only Has 2,500

• According to Kenya Wildlife Service, the population of lions is on a downward trajectory, with the country having about 2,500 individuals at the moment
• Lions are classified among the Big Five wildlife species alongside leopards, rhinoceros, buffalos and elephants
• Major threats to lions which are polygamous in nature are the depletion of their prey due to deforestation and climate change alongside human-wildlife conflicts

Nairobi - Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has joined the rest of the globe to commemorate the tenth World Lion Day, marked every August 10.

Big Five Wildlife in Kenya

Lions are one of Africa's most iconic wildlife species that attract tourists from all corners.

In Kenya, the lion is listed among the Big Five African animals alongside the elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros.

The term Big Five was used to refer to animals that conventional hunters found difficult and dangerous to hunt on foot across the African continent, according to Base Explorer.

World Lion Day is usually observed across the world annually to create and raise awareness about lion protection and conservation.

What is lion population in Kenya?

In a statement to the press, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) raised concern that the lion population in Africa had reduced by at least 96.5% in Africa in the past 100 years, thus the need to raise awareness and protect the species that is gradually becoming endangered.

"The day serves as a platform to educate people about the challenges faced by lions across the world, to promote efforts to conserve them, as well as to celebrate these majestic big cats and their significance in ecosystems and cultures around the world," read a statement by KWS.

During this tenth commemoration, habitat loss through deforestation, poaching, climate change, depletion of their natural prey and human-wildlife conflict were cited as the lion's main threat in the wild.

Threats to lions in Kenya

The 2023 theme for the event: "Reducing human-lion conflict through enhanced collaboration with communities" highlights why the negative interactions between the king of the jungle and humans has negatively impacted the population of the latter.

"The lion population in Africa has declined by 96.5% over the past 100 years, with estimates placing their populations at between 20,000 to 35,000 individuals. Lion populations in Kenya have been on a downward trajectory, with current estimates being just over 2,500 individuals," KWS said.

KWS stated that lions were difficult to count accurately as they naturally occur at low density, and are nocturnal, cryptic and wide-ranging.

The agency, however, is using the scientifically robust spatially-explicit-capture-recapture (SECR) methods to provide population estimates in lion source populations.

Are lions endangered species?

According to KWS, the African lion is listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and is classified as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) Red List and classified as endangered in the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act (WCMA) 2013.

TUKO.co.ke understands that Kenya is implementing the second edition of the National Recovery and Action Plan for the Lion and Spotted Hyena in Kenya (2020-2030).

The initiative's vision is to sustain viable populations of lions and spotted hyenas in healthy ecosystems as a world heritage valued by the people of Kenya.

Approaches to attain this include maintaining their prey and minimising conflict, and maximising the wildlife's value to local communities.

Lions are predators, but some of them opportunistically scavenge and hunt humans.