Threatened

Some interesting news on the African lion front.... On October 27, 2014, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed listing the lion as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act – a similar listing to the current International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listing of “vulnerable”.  The curious thing is that, for the most part, both sides, the activists and the hunting community, are considering this to be a win.  The activists get some regulation but the hunters don’t get so much that they're banned.  It will be interesting to see how it will all play out in the long run.

What being “threatened” means:

• The lion is not “on the brink of extinction.”
  
• It is “likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.”
  
• USFWS “will establish a permitting mechanism to allow importation of sport-hunted African lion trophies into the United States provided that they are established as originating from countries with a scientifically sound management plan for the African lion.”
  

A little background:
A couple years ago some organizations (primarily of the “animal rights” persuasion) submitted a petition to USFWS and the IUCN demanding the African lion to be listed as an endangered species.  Their reasoning is based on a perceived decline in census size and an association that all hunting is the horrific practice of canned lion hunting, which it is not.  In fact, with this decision USFWS said lion hunting is “not… a threat to the species at this time.”

Prior to this decision the lion wasn’t listed under the USFWS Endangered Species Act at all; meaning, there were no US government mandated regulations for the species.  Interestingly enough, however, USFWS recognizes African lion sub-species, a designation debated by many scientists and policy makers (especially since the discovery that the distinguishable fluffy mane of the Cape lion, thought to be an extinct sub-species, is simply a morphological result of colder weather, i.e. any lion can become a fluffy Cape lion if it’s chilly).  Over the years, scientists have given 23 different scientific names to the African lion.  Currently the IUCN Red List recognizes only the African and Asiatic sub-species while the Catalog of Life recognizes eleven sub-species (listed below) and USFWS recognizes four.  According to the USFWS website, the new “threatened” designation only applies to Panthera leo ssp. leo.  Panthera leo persica, the Asiatic lion, has been “endangered” since 1970 but Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita and Panthera leo ssp senegalensis remain “not listed”.  Panthera leo ssp. leo is considered to be all lions on the African continent by IUCN but is considered to be the extinct North African Barbary lion in other circles. In the case of USFWS, it could be that Panthera leo ssp. leo is simply a new distinction which will encompass all African lions, as it does for IUCN, and they just haven’t removed Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita and Panthera leo ssp senegalensis from their list yet.  Either way, some kind of agreement across organizations needs to happen if we think any kind of international/interorganization regulation is going to happen.

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Last week’s USFWS decision was based on what they claim to be “the best available science.”  The very reason I am conducting my dissertation research is because the information available is, as you can see, quite inconsistent and inconsistent information compromises conservation decisions, some of which could have a profound impact on both the long-term security of the species as well as the African economy.  There is very little genetic information available and genetic information is what is needed to provide some much needed population driven guidance.

Some Recognized Sub-species of Lion:

• azandica – Congo lion: Northeast Congo
  
• bleyenberghi – Katanga Lion: Southwest Africa (Namibia to Democratic Republic of the Congo to Zambia)
  
• hollisteri – synonym for nubica
  
• kamptzi – synonym for senegalensis
  
• krugeri – Transvaal Lion: Southeastern Africa (South Africa)
  
• leo – Barbary lion: North Africa (Morocco to Egypt)
  
• massaica – synonym for nubica
  
• melanochaita – Cape lion: Republic of South Africa only
  
• nubica – Masai lion: East Africa (Ethiopia to Mozambique)
  
• nyanzae – synonym for nubica
  
• senegalensis – West African (Senegal to Central African Republic)
  
• persica – Asiatic lion: India