Most African lions will be protected under the Endangered Species Act, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced Monday.
Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said a subspecies in western and central sub-Saharan Africa only has about 900 lions remaining, while a different subspecies in southern and eastern Africa has a population of about 19,000. The two subspecies together account for all African lions.
Due to a loss of habitat and prey, killing by humans, poor regulation and poor management of protected areas, the Fish and Wildlife Service determined these lions are endangered, while the southern and eastern lions are considered threatened.
“The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is doing everything it can with everything that it has to set a new course for the conservation of African lions,” Ashe said.
The final rule protecting lions will go into the Federal Register on Wednesday and go into effect after 30 days.
Lion populations in Africa have declined precipitously in the last century or so. Ashe said estimates showed about 500,000 lions lived in Africa at the beginning of the 20th century. By mid-century, there were about 200,000 lions and now just 20,000 lions are estimated to live in Africa.
Lions have been threatened by the growth of human population in Africa, Ashe said. That problem is expected to worsen in the coming years, with even more rapid population growth predicted by 2050.
“Lions are integrated into our culture, our philosophy, our art and clearly the lion is one of our most renowned species,” he said. “It’s an integral part of our cultural heritage.”
The move will not ban hunting of lions for sport. According to Ashe, sport hunting of lions can continue if managed well. The revenues collected by the hunting of lions for sport are often used for conservation, research and poaching prevention.
At the same time, Ashe issued an order to keep anyone convicted or accused of violating wildlife laws from getting a permit to import sport-hunting trophies.
“We in the United States have an obligation, and that means doing everything possible to ensure United States citizens are doing everything possible to protect wildlife,” he said.
