Description: Lions are the second largest members of the cat family in the world. Lions are tan in color with slightly white underparts, with a tuft of black hair at the end of the tail.

Most cat species live a fundamentally solitary existence, but the lion is an exception. It has developed a social system based on teamwork and a division of labor within the pack, and a large but closed family unit centered on a group of related females. The average pride consists of about 15 individuals, including five to 10 females with their young and two to three territorial males who are usually brothers or pridemates.

Subspecies: The extinct Barbary and Cape lions were once treated as subspecies (Plleo and Pl melanochaita). All lions are currently considered monotypic.

Distribution: According to Nowell and Jackson (1996), the lion, once found from North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia) to southern Africa and southwest Asia, is now widespread only in Botswana, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, former Zaire, and Zambia. Its status in Angola, Mozambique, Sudan and Somalia needs to be clarified (Nowell & Jackson, 1996), while it is believed to be more or less sparsely distributed in Benin, Burkina Faso, northern Cameroon, southern Chad, southern Congo, northern Ivory Coast, northern Ghana, northern Guinea, eastern Guinea Bissau, southern Mali, northern Nigeria and Uganda. By contrast, in Burundi, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa, populations are believed to be confined to protected areas. It is virtually extinct in Djibouti, Gabon, Lesotho, Mauritania, Swaziland, and Togo.

Diet: Lions mainly eat large animals such as zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, gemsbok, and even giraffe. Smaller game such as Impala, Steenbok and even Porcupine are taken when the opportunity arises. The task of hunting is often left to the lionesses in the pride, who hunt as a team.

Reproduction: Lions do not breed seasonally, but females in a pride often synchronize births. After a gestation period of 110 days, one to four pups are born. The cubs begin to eat meat after ten weeks. Females nurse their own pups and those of others for up to six months. After birth, the cubs hide for six weeks, after which the mothers take them to the pack nursery. The young remain dependent on the organizational success of the pack for up to three years.

Behavior: Prides consist of two to 12 related females and their dominant young males. Such males may form coalitions of two to six and collectively have tenure of the packs. The lion’s roar is an impressive sound and is perhaps the sound most associated with African nature.

In addition to roaring, lions also communicate by marking their surroundings with scents, and even with their facial expressions and body postures. Lions display their aggressiveness by showing their impressive canine teeth, retracting their ears and showing the dark patch behind the ears, their tails twitching in irritation.

Categorical-Discrete (CD) Distribution Model

Found in a wide variety of environments, the species appears to be absent only from the tropical rainforest and interior Sahara desert. Optimum habitat types are represented by forests and complexes of thick shrubs, scrub, and grasses; it is also found in montane páramos (Nowell & Jackson, 1996; Yalden et al., 1980).

South African Regulations:

DRAFT NORMS, STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS RELATED TO THE MANAGEMENT OF LARGE PREDATORS

Introduction

The Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism intends, under the terms of article 9(1) of the National Environmental Management and Biodiversity Law of 2004 (Law No. 10 of 2004), to issue the norms and standards for the sustainable use of large predators and under the terms of article 97(1) of the National Environmental Management of Biodiversity Law of 2004 (Law No. 10 of 2004) to issue regulations related to the possession and hunting of Acinonyx jubatus, Hy aena brunnea, Crocuta crocuta, Lycaon pictus, Panthera Leo and Panthera pardus, established in the attached Annexes.

These norms and standards are minimal and do not prevent provincial policies from being more restrictive.

These norms, standards and regulations will be effective as of July 1, 2005.

The following species of large predators, indigenous to South Africa, are covered by these rules and standards and regulations:

Cheetah Acinonyx jubatus

Spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta

Brunne hyena brown hyena

Lycaon pictus wild dog

lion panther leo

leopard panthera pardus

Compliance with norms, standards and regulations will be enforced through the mechanisms available in terms of National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Law, 2004 (Law No. 10 of 2004) (NEMBA). The above species will be listed as threatened or protected species in terms of section 56(1) of the NEMBA. In terms of section 57(1) of the NEMBA, no person may carry out a restricted activity involving a specimen of a listed endangered or protected species without a permit issued in terms of Chapter 7 of the NEMBA.

The monitoring of compliance and application of these rules and standards and regulations will be carried out through law enforcement actions by Environmental Management Inspectors designated under the terms of the National Environmental Management Reform Law of 2003 (Law No. 46 of 2003). Specific steps to monitor compliance with and enforcement of these rules and standards will be issued by the Minister in terms of section 97(1)(a) of the NEMBA.

Captive breeding operations involving large predators will need to be registered in terms of section 59(f) of the NEMBA.

Additional regulations related to the listing of other species as “Listed Threatened or Protected Species” in terms of section 56(1) of the National Environmental Management Act: Biodiversity (Act No. 10 of 2004) will be effected by publishing a full list of species after an appropriate consultation process.

The purpose of the draft regulations, standards and draft regulations is to:

provide a national approach and minimum standards for all aspects related to the management of large predators;

regulate the hunting of large predators;

promote the ethical hunting of large predators;

regulate the control of animals that cause damage;

protect the rights of the owners of properties adjacent to those where large predators enter;

regulate the import and export of large predators;

protect the genetic integrity of indigenous populations of predators; and
to ensure the sustainable use of large predators.