Wildlife

Lions

In Africa, lion numbers are falling fast, due mostly to hunting by humans. Lions usually hunt at dusk or dawn and play an important role in savannas, removing sick and diseased ungulates from the population and keeping their populations healthy as a result. But human population growth is a serious threat, as more and more of the lions' habitat outside national parks is taken for farmland and livestock production, and populations of prey, like antelopes, buffaloes, and zebras, dwindle.

WCS works closely with local communities to change their farming practices to reduce the conflict and end retaliatory killings. In Uganda, WCS research shows that retaliatory poisoning of lions for livestock loss and snaring are the two main causes of adult lion deaths. WCS is helping provide water and improved rangeland outside the parks to reduce illegal grazing and tackling snaring in the parks to reverse this decline.