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A powerful lion's roar
"A lion's roar is so loud that it can be heard up to eight kilometers away. Lions use this impressive sound to mark their territory and warn other lions."
Discover in real lifeHabitat:
savannas in Africa
Diet:
Meat, mostly ungulates
Lifespan:
10 to 15 years old
Weight:
♀ 120 to 180 kilograms ♂ 150 to 240 kilograms
Number of young:
1 to 6 young
Gestation period:
3.5 months
IUCN status:
vulnerable
EEP:
yes
About the African lion
African lions inhabit the vast savannas of Africa and are the only felines that live in groups. The size of such a group varies and depends mainly on the availability of food in the area. Some groups may consist of as many as 40 lions. Usually a group includes two to three males, several females and their young. Females remain within the same group throughout their lives, while males leave the group into which they were born around the age of two.
Habitat and threats
The African lion is found in areas south of the Sahara Desert and lives in diverse landscapes, with the exception of tropical rainforests and deserts. Once their range was much larger, but in the past 500 years it has shrunk by about 85%.
Today it is estimated that about 25,000 African lions still live in the wild, down from 90,000 in 1970. The two biggest causes of this decline are habitat loss and conflict with humans. With growing human population pressure, there is less and less space and food available for lions. When they come near farms and attack livestock such as cows or goats, they are often killed to avoid harm.
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Species conservation in Overloon Zoo
Did you know that more than 4,000 animal species are threatened with extinction worldwide? ZooParc works with around 325 European zoos to protect and preserve these species. We form the EAZA: the European Zoo Association. With management programmes (EEPs), together we ensure healthy reserve populations of species.
The status of the African lion is vulnerable; the lions in ZooParc are also part of an EEP. Each EEP has a coordinator who maintains a studbook of species data and manages the zoo population. This means that the coordinator, together with a committee, gives advice on which animals are allowed to have offspring together and whether animals need to move to another zoo to do so. This way, the chance of healthy offspring and thus keeping the species alive is the highest. On the signs in ZooParc, you can recognise animals with an EEP by the logo of a rhino and her calf.
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Species preservation in the wild
ZooParc contributes to nearly thirty conservation projects worldwide through the Wildlife Foundation. Protection of the African lion is also an important part of these initiatives. Every year, the Namibian Lion Trust receives a donation from the Wildlife Foundation, which focuses on the protection of lions in Namibia, around Etosha National Park.
More info about Namibian Lion TrustMore info about Stichting Wildlife