Africa’s lions are running out of space. Habitat loss, shrinking prey populations and growing conflict with communities are putting the continent’s big cats under mounting pressure, with retaliatory killings and poisoning posing an added threat to their survival.
Brushing through the grass at Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy and tearing into flesh as they feed, these lions represent both the country’s wildlife wealth and one of its toughest conservation challenges.
Lions are a major attraction for tourists and photographers and play a crucial role as apex predators in maintaining healthy ecosystems.
But across Africa, their numbers have fallen sharply. The Africa Wildlife Foundation estimates the continent’s lion population at between 20,000 and 23,000, down by about 43% over two decades.
In Kenya, an estimated 2,500 to 2,600 lions remain.
