CAPE TOWN, South Africa Captive lions taken from their wild habitats in Africa and raised in captivity, are being slaughtered for the pleasure of tourists, particularly from Western countries, with the US a major contributor. Lion Day is celebrated Aug. 10.
Thousands of captive lions, who spend their lives entertaining tourists behind steel bars, are kept ready for the day when they will be killed under the guise of hunting events. Wild lions, who have lost the majority of their population and habitats due to human activity in the last century, are struggling to survive in the vanishing savannas of Africa. Lion population has fallen by 43% since 2001 There were about 200,000 lions in the wild at the beginning of last century, according to estimates by the Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research Unit.
By the end of the last century, the population, which had dwindled to around 33,000 due to hunting and other human factors, had decreased by 43% since 2001. Today, it is estimated that 23,000 lions remain in the wild. Having lost nearly 95% of their historical natural habitats, lions today primarily live in well-protected national parks in Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Captive lions Research includes only lions living in the wild in global lion population estimates. Captive lions, which are removed from their natural habitats and live in captivity, are excluded from the list. The term captive lions refers to lions born and raised on spec.