In recent endangered species news, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has extended protection to Africa’s lions. According to a recent update from ethnologist, anthropologist, and activist Jane Goodall on December 21, 2015, the decision to protect African lions came as a result of recent public uproar over countless tales of trophy hunting as well as the general decline of the lion population as a whole. In a public post, Goodall recounts:
"Across most of Africa, lion populations have declined by 60 percent since 1993 and there are fewer than 30,000 lions left today. This decline is due to habitat loss, loss of prey, human/wildlife conflict, unsustainable trophy hunting and the increasing international trade in lion bones for traditional medicine in both Africa and Asia."
Read the full story on Goodall's website here: http://news.janegoodall.org/2015/12/21/a-win-for-...
Animal lovers, activists, lion enthusiasts, and environmentalists consider this decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a victory for a species that continues to awe and humble humans with its beauty, intelligence, and power.
*This post was originally published on June 5th, 2015.