Five Reasons Lions Need to be Saved

With all of the talk surrounding the recent illegal killing of Cecil the lion in Africa, I have decided to show you some reasons why Lions are not only incredible, but also why the preservation of them is so important. I am not here to make a stance or get political about the killing or the groups involved, but just to spread a little education.

1. Family

Lions are one of the only big cats that live and hunt in groups called “prides.” A pride of lions can consist of as many as fifteen lions. All lions in the pride play an important role, helping and socializing with the entire pride to ensure its success. Male lions defend the pride’s territory while females do most of the hunting. Despite this, the males eat first.

2. Threatened

These big golden beasts are listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Less than a hundred years ago there were as many as 200,000 lions living in the wild in Africa. Today, an estimation of fewer than 30,000 living in the wild in Africa today.

3. Size

An average male lion stands nearly four feet tall and weighs in at over 400 pounds! Thats a big kitty. Their roar can be heard from nearly five miles away, they run at a top speed of 50 mph and can leap up to 36 feet.

4. Cat Naps

Lions sleep an average of twenty hours per day, if only all of us could be so lucky. Despite the common term “Lions den” they do not sleep in a den at all, in fact they basically sleep wherever they can find a shady spot or even in the middle of a savannah.  Perks of being top of the food chain I guess.

5.They can EAT

Estimations are that a fully grown lion will consume nearly 25 pounds of food a day, but they can gorge on up to 100 pounds if food is scarce. They have been known to eat anything from reptiles, giraffes and even elephants if the opportunity strikes. They mostly hunt at night however, being opportunists they’ll hunt whenever the chance arises and that could be the middle of the hottest day.

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