The number of African lions in the wild has dropped from about 100,000 in 1960 to 32,000 today. (Frans Lanting / Corbis)

Losing Africa’s Lions

A new scientific study shows that lion populations are shrinking

• PRINT
• EMAIL

More and more people are moving into the African plains, where lions live. (Anup Shah / Corbis)

Once, African lions were the kings of the jungle. But every day, they lose more and more of their home to humans.

A new study done by Duke University shows that humans have taken over much of the lions’ habitat. A habitat is an animal’s home in the wild. Lions live on the African plains, which are called savannas. In the past 50 years, the number of people living on the African plains has grown rapidly. At the same time, the number of lions had decreased by about 70 percent.

The research team at Duke University used detailed pictures taken by satellite to carefully examine the African landscape. They were able to see very small farms and towns that are taking over the once-open plains.

Lions need wide-open spaces to roam and hunt. As the number of people and towns has increased, the African plains have become less welcoming to lions. The number of lions has dropped from about 100,000 in 1960 to 32,000 today. West Africa has seen the most dramatic drop—fewer than 500 lions remain there.

PROBLEMS WITH HUMANS

Researchers worry that the number of lions will decrease even more as the number of humans moving onto the savannas increases. People and lions living closely together have to compete for natural resources like water and food.

Towns and farms that take over hunting grounds could force the lions out of those areas completely. Often, lions with no other sources of food will kill livestock (farm animals). Farmers will then kill the lions to protect their animals.

African lions are also threatened by poachers. A poacher is a person who hunts an animal illegally. Many poachers hunt lions for sport or to take their fur as trophies.

PLANNING FOR PROTECTION

One of the authors of the Duke University study is conservationist Stuart Pimm. A conservationist is someone who looks at ways to best use Earth’s natural resources. Pimm believes the group’s research can be helpful in planning ways for people and lions to share the African plains.

One solution is to build higher fences to keep lions away from livestock. African governments could also expand and better protect their wildlife reserves. Then lions would have safe places to hunt and graze.

“I think one of the important things to stress is that this isn’t all gloom and doom,” says Pimm. “We’re using this information to very actively look at strategies for how we can protect lions.”

• Scholastic Store
• 

  The Scholastic Store

  Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers Operation Iraqi Freedom, that's the code name. But the young men and women in the military's Civil Affairs Battalion have a simpler name for it: WAR. In this new novel, Walter Dean Myers looks at a contemporary war with the same power and searing insight he brought to the Vietnam war of his classic, "Fallen Angels". He creates memorable characters like the book's narrator, Birdy, a young recruit from Harlem who's questioning why he even enlisted; Marla, a blond, tough-talking, wisecracking gunner; Jonesy, a guitar-playing bluesman who just wants to make it back to Georgia and open a club; and a whole unit of other young men and women and drops them incountry in Iraq, where they are supposed to help secure and stabilize Iraq and successfully interact with the Iraqi people. The young civil affairs soldiers soon find their definition of "winning" ever more elusive and their good intentions being replaced by terms like "survival" and "despair. " Caught in the crossfire, Myers' richly rendered characters are just beginning to understand the meaning of war in this powerful, realistic novel of our times. Learn more about Walter Dean Myers. $14.39 You save: 20% books;hardcover books;hardcovers | Ages 13 and Up

  
  Sunrise Over Fallujah
  Ages 13 and Up $14.39
  
• Teacher Store
• 

  The Teacher Store

  People's Republic of China, Revised Edition by Kim Dramer SET FEATURES:     Highly visual introduction to world geography     Packed with photos, original maps, and browser-friendly sidebars     Timelines compare each country's history to world history     "Fast Facts" appendix highlights key information from the text     "To Find Out More" listings encourage independent research     Ind $25.90 You save: 30% Library Binding | Grades 5-9

  
  People's Republic of China, Revised Edition
  Grades 5-9 $25.90