World Lion day

About World Lion Day-

• The history of the day lies in 2013 by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, co-founders of the Big cat initiative, and National Geographic made a partnership to create World Lion Day.
• The day aims to spread awareness of lions and the urgent need to strive toward their conservation
• In the wild, there are two formally recognised lion subspecies.

About Lion-

• The lion is a large cat of the genus Panthera native to Africa and India. 
• The  lions were once found throughout Africa, Asia and Europe but their numbers have dwindled over the years in these continents. 
• These majestic cats that symbolise courage, ferocity, and power are threatened by extensive habitat loss.
• The lion is an apex and keystone predator. It inhabits grasslands, savannas and shrublands. 
• It is sexually dimorphic; adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent mane. 
• It is a social species, forming groups called prides. A lion’s pride consists of a few adult males, related females, and cubs.
• In the 19th and 20th centuries, several lion type specimens were described and proposed as subspecies, with about a dozen recognised as valid taxa until 2017.
• Between 2008 and 2016, IUCN Red List assessors used only two subspecific names: P. l. leo for African lion populations, and P. l. persica for the Asiatic lion population.
• The last remaining population of the Asiatic Lions can be found in Gujarat’s Gir National Park.
• The population of Asiatic lions has steadily increased in Gujarat’s Gir forest and the larger Saurashtra protected area after experiencing a long period of decline. 
• Between 2015 and 2020, their population increased from 523 to 674. 
• The much larger African lions are a distant relative of the Asiatic lions of India.
• The most striking morphological character, which is always seen in Asiatic lions, and rarely in African lions, is a longitudinal fold of skin running along its belly. 
• The fur ranges in colour from ruddytawny, heavily speckled with black, to sandy or buff-grey, sometimes with a silvery sheen in certain lights.
• Lions maintain ecological balance and ensure the protection of natural forests and help in the conservation of biodiversity.
• IUCN status: African Lion is currently classified as Vulnerable and Asiatic Lion is currently classified as Endangered.