Is An African Lion Safari Becoming A Thing Of The Past?
How the mighty have fallen. I'm talking about the king of the beasts, the African lion. It's amazing to think that this seemingly indestructible creature is battling to maintain a presence in a domain it has dominated for so long. An African lion safari has highlighted the traveling exploits of many an adventurer over the years but now, it seems the lion is running out of free territory.
Without trying to sound too over dramatic, the African lion's numbers have dwindled considerably since the 1950's... they number about 20,000 in the wild today. What's causing their demise? Human intervention and progress. Africa's population is on a steady curve upwards and heading towards a billion people. Agricultural programs have been put in place to produce food and locals are quickly learning the art of farming. Nothing strange about that you say but there is a silent victim in all this, namely the African lion.
Can Humans And Lions Co-Exist?
The problem is that in reality, humans and lions co-existing on the same area of turf without a skirmish is impossible. So who suffers? Sure, lions who can stand four feet high at the shoulder and reach weights of 600 pounds would win any physical confrontation. But against technology, they have no chance.
When a pack of hungry lions suddenly notices that there are farm animals on their spread, are they going to differentiate? No way. To them, it's a source of food and they will invariably move in for the kill. The outcome?
The lions have got to go. Extreme measures such as laying poison by farmers reportedly has been implemented and the result is more and more of the african lion's territory is disappearing. You see, in simple terms this is a little like business. Humans have no reason or benefits to gain from co-existing with lions.
What's The Lion's Future?
If things had continued at this pace it's quite conceivable that the only place you would have had the privilege of seeing an African lion may have been in a zoo. The good news is that there are now programs being put in place to ensure the African lion doesn't become another statistic.
Unlike it's Asiatic cousin, the African lion's demise will hopefully be halted. It may well be that they will survive as reservation occupants but it's a lot better than wiping them off the face of the planet.
To those who have been on an African lion safari, the experience in a lot of cases has literally been life-changing. An African lion safari has given people the opportunity to get as close as humanly possible to these noble animals. Can they bounce back? Only time will tell.
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