At three months, even the future King of the Savannah loves to play.
in Senegal, video The trio of lion cubs, almost unimaginable just a few years ago, gives hope that the long-extinct West African lion will be revived.
Panthera, a U.S.-based wild cat conservation organization, Reveal unreleased footage A photo of a female and three cubs spotted by a remote camera in February in Nikolo Coba National Park in southeastern Senegal.
In what Panthera describes as “a thrilling revival of the endangered West African lion,” the video footage shows a big cat cuddling while its three-month-old offspring try to imitate. is shown eating an animal carcass.
They brandish their claws and fangs and test them on scraps of wood or on the hindquarters of their mothers.
“This new record of lion life shows that a once-threatened population is showing remarkable recovery,” the organization said in a statement.
Since 2011, Panthera has been working with Senegal’s National Park Service to protect Nikolo Coba Park.
During that time, the number of lions in the park has increased from 10 or 15 to about 30.
West African lions are genetically distinguished from their African and Asian subspecies by their thin manes and bald appearance.
According to Panthera, there are between 120 and 375 left.
West African lions, revered enough to be quoted in Senegal’s national anthem, are declining due to poaching and gradual loss of their habitat.
Pantera, citing a statement by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said past ranges have shrunk by 99%.
The lioness captured on camera, Florence, believed to be 9 or 10 years old, is contributing to the recovery of the population.
“This moment marks a turning point when the history of Niocolo Koba’s recovery is written, and Florence recognizes, more than anything else, as a key driver of the recovery of the West African lion, one of the last strongholds of this big cat. Philip Henschel statement.
The two male and one female cubs pictured with her are believed to be laying eggs for the third time since 2021.
Panthera said last year the lioness had a porcupine quill stuck in her face and was unable to eat. Scientists and veterinarians anesthetized the animals and removed the quills. second chance in life‘ said the organization.
according to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, African lion populations continue to decline.a 2015 survey He warned that lion populations in West, Central and East Africa could halve by 2035.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rare-west-african-lion-cubs-caught-on-video-in-thrilling-sign-of-recovery/ Rare West African lion cub caught on video in Sengar: ‘thrilling signs of recovery’