Answer:
Why is the African Lion's is important to the Ecosystem
Aug 25, 2015 · by Nikela Volunteer/Guest blogger · In: #LuvWildlife, All Posts, Canned hunting, endangered, Human Wildlife Conflict, lion, wildlife conservation Tagged: African lions, canned hunting, Cecil the lion, disease control, king of beasts, King of the Jungle, lion, Monserrat Gomez, Palmer
Why the African Lion is Important to the EcosystemBesides being the King of Beasts, the African Lion plays a crucial role in their environment. Without them, entire ecosystems can falter.
At times we wonder...
How much do we really know about African lions? What is their current conservation status? Why are these lions significant? Once we know about these lions, how can we help them?
General facts about the African Lion's....
Lions are the “King of the Jungle” — they dominate their environment as strong and brave creatures. Male lions are larger than their female counterparts. A male lion weighs in the range of 330 to 500 pounds, and has an average lifespan of 10 to 14 years. The African lion’s diet consists of animals such as zebra, giraffe, buffalo and rhino. According to Defenders of Wildlife, there are fewer than 21,000 African lions remaining on the entire African continent today. Lions are now only found in the south Sahara desert, and southern and eastern Africa.
Their current conservation status...
The African lion’s current conservation and protection status is ‘vulnerable’ under CITES. According to the Scientific American blog, they will be near extinction by the year 2050 — which is not too far in the future, when we stop and think about it. In March 2011, Born Free USA (among others) petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reclassify the African lion as “endangered” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. With the tragic trophy hunting of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe in July 2015, the hope is this will be considered more seriously.
African Lion's role in the ecosystem...
Population Control
Lions play a key role in the food chain by helping to control the herbivore population. If the herbivore population is not regulated, the increase of competition among them would cause some to go extinct and thus reduce biodiversity. The lions have a reputation of being the ‘chief’ predator of their habitat as they are known to even kill large herbivores such as elephants and giraffes.
Disease control
Lions prey mainly on herd animals. Nature comes to play as lions take down the weakest of the herd. This keeps the herd population resilient and healthy. If lions did not exist, there would be a symbiotic relationship between parasites and herd animals. This way, parasites could increase and spread throughout the herd, resulting in fewer healthy animals.
Explanation:
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