Conservation status:
African Lion – Vulnerable
Asiatic Lion – Critically Endangered
Lions face threats from hunting, habitat loss and diseases that can be spread from domestic dogs in nearby villages, according to the National Zoo.
The population of African lions has been almost cut in half in the past two decades because of retaliatory killings by farmers (whose livestock the lions eat), as well has trophy hunting and habitat loss.
Human encroachment on habitat has left the Gir population of lines highly endangered.