World Lion Day- August 10th

• World Lion Day is annually observed on August 10^th throughout the world to create awareness about conservation & protection of Lions.
• Big Cat Rescue, the world’s largest accredited lion sanctuary, established World Lion Day in 2013.

About Lion

• Scientific Name- Panthera leo.
• Lions are one of the most sociable cats and live in a group called Prides.
• Lions are divided into 2 subspecies-
  • African lion (Panthera leo leo) and
    • It is found in Africa, south of the Sahara desert.
  • Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica).
    • It is presently found only in and around the Gir Forest in the Saurashtra peninsula of Gujarat.
  • Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than African lions.
• Population- As per the estimates, there are between 30,000 and 100,000 lions left in the world today.
• Threats include Poaching, trophy hunting and the destruction of natural habitat.
• Lions are the top predators in their habitat and control the population of grazers, keeping the ecological balance.
• The lion census in India is conducted once every five years.
• Protection status
  • IUCN Red List
    • African Lion: Vulnerable
    • Asiatic Lion: Endangered and WPA- Schedule I, CITES- Appendix I