Symbolised as the King of beasts since ancient times, the lion, Panthera leo, is a mammal from the Felidae family. Contrary to popular belief, the lion is actually the second largest cat, after the tiger, but the largest carnivore in the African continent.
Profile
Vulnerable (VU)
Lifestyle
Lions sleep up to 20 hours a day.The rest of the day is spent defending its territory.
Carnivores and formidable predators, lionesses hunt in the cooler hours of the day.
Distinctive features
The lion is the largest carnivorous mammal in Africa.
It has considerable strength and its roar can be heard several kilometres away!
THE LION: AN ENDANGERED SPECIES
The African lion population has fallen from 100,000 to 30,000 individuals in 50 years. Its main threat is man, due to competition for territory with livestock, habitat degradation, trophy hunting, local rituals, disease and poaching for Asian medicines. The main conservation measures are the creation of reserves, a ban on hunting, financial compensation for farmers who have fallen victim to lions, and the protection of villages by plant fences.
The Paris Zoological Park is committed to protecting this species by raising public awareness.
THE LION CLAN
GET TO KNOW THE LIONS
The lion clan at the Parc zoologique de Paris is made up of three individuals: a lioness born in the United Kingdom, a young male named Kibo, born at the Parc zoologique de Paris and an adult male named Volcan, the only one in the group to wear a mane.