“Living wild species are like a library of books still unread. Our heedless destruction of them is akin to burning the library without ever having read its books”
John Dingell
Possibly one of the most persecuted animals in history, this majestic and noble creature has suffered a shocking catalogue of violence and abuse over the past two millennia or more.
It has been used as a weapon, killed for sport and entertainment, stolen for zoo exhibits, graced the floors and trophy rooms of the unconcerned, been poisoned and electrocuted by villagers protecting their cattle, drowned in open-pit wells and is now, in the face of dwindling tiger numbers, being hunted for body parts for use in Chinese Traditional medicine and other applications.
Populations were first dramatically and critically depleted, and in some areas wiped out, in Roman times. Had you lived as a Christian in ancient Rome, you might have wished this had happened a little sooner. For Christians were often hunted as criminals for refusing to worship Roman Gods. And indeed these, the Asiatic lions, were the lions the Christians and other prisoners were “fed to” and the ones gladiators faced in the arenas of the primitive coliseum games of the Roman Empire.
Not the lions choice, of course, they just happened to fit the task in hand. And at the time they were as abundant as their human fodder. But there is no doubt the animal’s lives ended very badly.
Killing them was a form of highly popular entertainment. They were starved in cages and then brought up into the arena where they would be baited, abused, stabbed and gored by gladiators, to the delight of the crowd. Sometimes, after they had been encouraged to kill a defenceless prisoner tied to a post.
“Hunts” would also be organised in the arenas with the lions having no way out and no cover. Attack was their only defence and always ended in the gory and painful deaths of the overwhelmed, trapped lions.
Roman emperors staged these contests for personal popularity. Both animals and humans suffered a terrible fate. Those who tormented and killed the weakened and frightened lions were hailed as heroes. Those themselves killed were soon discarded and replaced by others. The death toll was high on all sides. But such deaths meant little to the sadistic Romans. Their appetites were simply whetted further in their insatiable lust for blood and gore.
These same callous and depraved Romans undoubtedly started the ball rolling where decimation of certain species are concerned, including the Asiatic lion, by the massacre of multiple species of starving, terrified animals for their own personal gratification. At the inauguration of Titus, in 80AD, eight thousand animals were slaughtered within three days for his and the crowd’s amusement.
More of this centuries-lasting, unjustifiable slaughter can be found here, but do be prepared to be shocked at the scale of the annihilation and the range of animals concerned. It is truly disquieting.
It is also particularly disturbing to realise a civilisation so advanced in so many ways could be so uncivilised and so deficient in others, including compassion. The slaughter petered out eventually, after having continued for some four hundred years, but not because someone had developed a sense of fair play or a love of animals; simply because most of the animals were sadly gone and the power of the Roman Empire was declining.
But, by then the Romans had managed to eradicate the Asiatic lion from most parts of its original habitat. And not just lions were involved in these barbarous activities. There were also elephant, crocodile, ostrich, bear, hippo, leopard, giraffe and rhinoceros, to name but a few of the species concerned. In fact, anything they could capture by means fair or foul, they did, and with undisguised relish. In short, the Romans wreaked complete havoc on the indigenous wildlife of Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean; lands which the Asiatic lion once roamed freely. Some species disappeared altogether.
An early pattern certainly seems to have formed here which, though many may now eschew such practices, great numbers have still not evolved from this mentality; indeed it seems firmly embedded in their psyche. Humans continue to be the lion’s only predator and the same blood-lust and cravings for degenerate fun have never been entirely stamped out.
Lion hunting for trophies and pleasure continued throughout the centuries, long after the Romans were gone. Wealthy visitors and local tribesmen pursued them for sport. Some native peoples hunted them for meat and others killed them in defence of their own. In the nineteenth century, in India, the only country where they could still be found by this time, British colonial officers were bloated with pride when they were able to take home a lion skin to add to their trophy rooms. One hunter shot over three hundred lions.
Something started by one empire running rough-shod over the world was finished by another doing the same, almost two thousand years later – so much for empires!
Finally in 1900, following the devastation created by the British, which left the only remaining population confined to one area – the Gir Forest in the state of Gujarat – the lions were afforded legal protection. At that point, this one isolated population consisted of about one hundred lions.
Hunting of lions is still forbidden in the Gir Forest and its surrounding areas, and although these particular lions are not subjected to profit-making hunts for tourists, there is still some evidence of recreational hunting.
And, inescapably, there are the highly organised gangs of poachers who, despite the endangered status of the lions, continue to profit from them. Provided, naturally, with a huge incentive. A new threat has arisen in the past few years. There exists an enormous trade in tiger body parts using virtually every bit of the animal. As tiger populations have become more depleted and demand has risen, specifically from Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, those who seek bones and other body parts for Traditional Chinese medicines have turned their attentions to lions, with the most at risk being the Asiatic lion. The ever-growing demand for these medicines could potentially wipe out this species altogether. A huge revival in the use of traditional medicines is currently occurring. Demand is high and prices are soaring. Anything containing tiger parts is considered a status symbol. Ergo, anything containing lion parts seems destined to achieve the same repute.
If the Chinese peoples, most notably, but not exclusively, the absurd nouveau riche (tuhao), do not develop some respect for wildlife soon, it will only be a matter of time before they have either eaten the planet clean or poached every last available tiger, lion, pangolin, elephant and rhinoceros. All in the name of “traditional” medicine (using animal parts which serve no medicinal purpose whatsoever), in the pursuance of “must-have” items of adornment and by ritual slaughter for entertainment.
As with ivory, the tuhao need to learn how to be more responsible and intelligent when using their new-found wealth. Cites restrictions and rules are either not working here or not being applied, rendering them pointless at this juncture. Unless change is effected soon, there will be no wildlife left to protect and cherish.
One cannot help but see certain similarities here between the current rising Chinese Dynasties and the long gone Roman Empire. Albeit the use of the animals differs.
Since India’s human population in the area surrounding the Gir Forest recently reached over one billion, much conflict between the lions and the natives has arisen. The lions are also vulnerable to unpredicted events because of the nature of their population. Added to which, open-wells across the area have resulted in deaths by drowning as the lions literally fall into the unguarded holes. Crudely erected electric fences also play their part in the mortality rates.
An article written in the Scientific American suggests, quite rightly, the Asiatic lion has outgrown its space in the Gir National Park. Relocation discussions began twenty years ago, and still continue as the parties involved scrap over “whose lions are they anyway!” and “will they be safe from the resident tigers in their new home”. Court cases have been brought and plans made, but currently pleas are flying around and any final decisions hang in the balance. After years of litigation it has become clear, the good people of the state of Gujarat are more than a little reluctant to let their lions go, despite the obvious necessity for greater habitat.
Although smaller than African lions, the overall appearance of the male Asian lion is very similar. The mane is one distinguishing feature. The Asiatic male lion lacks the enormous half-body-covering mane of the African male lion. It’s mane is much shorter and less dense, leaving the ears visible. Other notable features are the fold of skin beneath the belly of the Asiatic lion and the longer tufts of hair on the elbows and the end of the tail.
This impressive apex predator can reach a length of eight feet, with a three-foot long tail and weighs over six hundred pounds. On top of this intimidating bulk, the Asiatic lion sports a set of very powerful and retractable claws and long, sharp canine teeth.
This is one very ferocious beast that hunts down its prey of deer, antelope and boar with consummate ease. Running up to fifty mph, it pounces on its prey without missing a step. In fact, it is capable of jumping up to thirty-six feet when needs must, so prey on the ground presents no problem. Though despite these skills not every chase ends in a kill.
The females are the hunters in the pride whilst the males spend most of their day loafing around. They do, however, get first dibs at the meal and usually the largest share. They are followed by the cubs. The female, for all her hard work, is rewarded with the left-overs. Perhaps this is where the phrase “the lion’s share” comes from. Altogether they are highly social beasts, living in small prides with females mostly hunting as a team, unless the prey is of manageable size for one lion alone.
Mating takes place all year round with males and females reaching maturity by the time they are five and four years old respectively. A litter of one to four cubs are usually born after a gestation period of three and a half months. Cubs are born blind and helpless, they weigh a mere two to four pounds and are fully dependant upon their mothers for the first few weeks of the lives. They will suckle to the age 
of six months but will start eating meat at the age of three months. Whilst male members of the pride will often guard carcasses preventing the lioness from feeding in order to allow the cubs to eat first, males taking over a pride will kill cubs under one year of age. Independence comes at one year. By then the cubs should have their own hunting skills honed.
Sadly, there is an eighty per cent mortality rate in cubs and infanticide is the major cause. This is followed by natural causes and occasional parental abandonment.
Those who survive infancy and current threats to the species should hopefully live to their full life expectancy of about twenty years.
A few extra thoughts…
Lions are the second largest of the big cats, after their closest relatives, the tigers.
The lion symbol is used as the national animal of many countries, including England. It has also been used for centuries in heraldic emblems on shields and coats-of-arms.
Though often commonly and mistakenly referred to as the “king of the jungle”, African lions live on grasslands, savannah and plains. As forest dwellers Asiatic lions are the only ones who come relatively close to this label.
Amazingly, the Asiatic lion’s heels don’t touch the ground when it walks and it can issue a roar which can be heard up to five miles away.
The Asiatic or Indian Lion is the only extant species of lion outside Africa.
Natural Habitat
Exposed grassy scrubland and dry deciduous forest.
Where
Gir Forest National Park, Western Gujarat, India and the surrounding area.
What they eat
Primarily deer, antelope and wild boar.
Threats
Forests fires, poisoning, drowning in open-pit wells, inbreeding, disease, loss of habitat and prey, and poaching. These lions are now being targeted for Chinese Traditional medicines as tiger populations decrease.
Status: Endangered
The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo ssp. persica) is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Endangered. It is also listed in CITES Appendix I and it is fully protected in its native India. A reintroduction programme, the Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project initiated by the Indian government, serves to restore numbers of the species in the wild by way of reintroduction, increase water holes and end poaching, etc. More details can be found here. Little more than four hundred of the species exist in the wild. Although the population is now stable, poaching has increased putting numbers once more in jeopardy. Various zoos across the world hold Asian lions and some participate in captive breeding programs. A translocation programme to offer a larger prey base is in place, but this is currently being opposed by the Gujarat Government.
Related Articles
Global warming – Is it really a myth or an absolute reality? Is it part of the natural climatic cycle or a panic situation created by scientists, climate experts, industrialists and meteorologists; aided and abetted by self-serving politicians?
Mother bears are also reluctant to take young cubs into the water in the spring: the cubs just don’t have enough fat on them to retain the heat levels needed for long periods in the water.
However, current research indicates even the smallest oil spill now has the potential to destroy the entire ecosystem. And how do you clean up an oil spill in floating, fragmented ice? Or any ice at all, for that matter! No-one, it seems, has yet found an effective way.
In order to survive extreme conditions, polar bears must regulate their own body temperature. An oil-drenched coat would prevent this. Their prey species will most certainly end up covered in oil, which the bears may well ingest, making them vulnerable to any contaminants, as would personal grooming. Kidney failure and brain damage are among some of the possible after effects. For those which haven’t already starved to death, an oil spill would most certainly take them down the same road. 
With reference to Alan Parker’s superb article – 
And let’s face it, if you are tracking a polar bear, it’s a pretty big target to miss when you find it. Male bears can weigh anything between seven hundred and twelve hundred pounds. And, at almost nine feet tall and ten feet in length, it doesn’t take an expert marksman to fell the poor bears. In fact, polar bears are the largest of all living bears, next to the Kodiak Bear. It seems to be debatable which bear is actually the bigger one.
With this dense, water-repellent fur and their heat-retaining, four-and-a-half inch layer of fat, they can withstand extreme temperatures on land and in water. They are also equipped with rough, anti-slip pads on their enormous paws to help them when travelling on ice. The same huge, powerful paws act as paddles in the water.
will give birth to up to four cubs – twins being the most common – each weighing about one pound and reaching a mere twelve to fourteen inches in length. Babies are usually born in dens on snow-covered land between November and January and emerge in the spring. It is essential the mother eats plenty of food in the summer in order to build up sufficient fat before entering the den as she will have to live off the reserves.
A few extra thoughts…
Dorcas gazelle can travel up to sixty mph when threatened, and like all other gazelle, speed is this gentle ungulate’s only asset when defending itself. But in this case, the advantage of being fleet of foot is lost to the superior vehicles and their 
These diminutive, perfectly assembled creatures are little more than two feet in height and weigh, at most, forty-five pounds. They sport ringed horns which curl backwards and inwards, and grow up to fifteen inches in length. The female horns tend to be thinner, paler and not quite as curved.
Natural Habitat
I always think of the mythical 
Incessant, needless deforestation by commercial logging, agriculture, settlement and 
Conservation plans to protect the eagles are already in place and laws have been passed prohibiting hunting and protecting nests. Awareness is being raised and educational lectures are being given by the Philippine Eagle Foundation, in the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao City, Mindanao, to all visitors.
The crown and crest of the bird is a pale caramelly-brown with black flashes. The large bill is blue to grey. The top of the body is covered with long, deep-brown feathers with pale tips and the undersides and chest are creamy-white. The tail is brown with darker bars and a white edge, and the feet are heavy and noticeably yellow. Needless to say, it has extremely powerful talons, perfectly adapted to its own hunting techniques.
Pairs seem to be a bit of thing for these birds. They are monogamous and will pair for life. Unless one dies, in which case the surviving eagle will find another mate. These pairs will nest once every two years. The breeding season is very much dependent on the location. When the time for egg laying approaches, the female becomes sickly and refuses food. This can last for up to ten days. At the same time she will drink a lot of water and make a lot of loud calls. Her wings become droopy and she begins to look altogether rather seedy. The name for this condition is “egg lethargy”.
At this point nest-building begins. A single egg will be laid in the finished nest. There is an incubation period of up to sixty-eight days. Both parents will help with the incubation of the egg, but the female will take most of the day-time shift. Following successful incubation, the newly hatched chick will remain in the nest for up to five and a half months before taking its first flight. It will not leave its parents at this point, and will remain in their care for a further twelve months.
problems these eagles are facing in trying to replenish their numbers in the wild.
Natural Habitat
How sad it would be to lose the unique Grévy’s zebra from the plains of Africa. It is the rarest and most endangered of all species of zebra, and no other African mammal has seen such dramatic reductions in range as Grévy’s zebra has in recent decades. Being driven from its home by pastoral farmers after being forced to compete with cattle and goats for food and water has been one of the major problems the animals have had to face. Over-grazing has left the land severely degraded.
90%” (Williams 2002). This and natural droughts have been significant contributory factors in, not only the deaths of adults, but also the high rate of juvenile mortality (fifty per cent), posing a huge threat to the species. Human disturbance at crucial watering holes is also hastening their decline. Grévy’s zebra are able to live without water for up to five days, but this is their limit and access is then necessary. The distances they are compelled to travel between food and accessible water often prove too much for the foals and many die en route.
In the late 1970s, zebra were extensively hunted for their highly prized skins, medicinal value and subsistence food, which markedly added to the initial reduction in numbers. Since then, hunting has been outlawed, but still persists in some areas; notably in Ethiopia where the laws are not always adhered to. Here the isolated populations are still sought primarily for their hides, occasionally for food and sporadically in connection with traditional healing.
Currently, there are some amazing ongoing projects in existence run by various 
Not forgetting, the zebra has its fair share of natural predators, too. The 
Grévy’s zebra are ridiculously easy to spot out on the plains. They have huge furry ears, large heads and long legs. They are the largest of all wild equids and their stripes are as unique as the human fingerprint. Unlike the plains zebra, who is closely related to the horse, Grévy’s zebra,between its habits and distribution, falls somewhere between the wild asses and other zebras.
darken with maturity. Each adult animal has a characteristic dorsal stripe, black with white either side, and a very discernible brown muzzle. The hogged-like mane and forelock hairs have brown tips, as does the tail, and the underside is gleaming white. 
solitary, except for mating, and will often remain in their territories during the dry season, whilst other migrate to lusher pastures. The non-territorial males travel together in small bachelor groups of up to eight individuals. 
The breeding season takes place in August and September, with births coinciding with the early rains. There is an exceptionally long gestation period of three hundred and ninety days, after which a single foal, weighing eighty to ninety pounds, will be born. 
Natural Habitat
outhern pudús are the smallest deer in existence. Their size, coupled with their endearing appearance, has made them targets for the illegal 
I think it goes without saying man has virtually destroyed their habitat, leaving them living in fragmented areas. When travelling between locations, they now come across roads built for settlements, ranches and plantations. They are not particularly good at negotiating these, especially with fast traffic, and road deaths are high among the pudú populations.
That’s an awful lot of problems for something little more than a foot high.
Pudús tend to live alone or in pairs, and very occasionally in groups of three. Individuals come together during the rut which takes place in April and May. A gestation period of about seven months follows, after which a single fawn will be born. Fawns are tiny, weighing less than thirty ounces, and are on their feet almost immediately. Care of the young falls entirely to the mother. Pudús advance quickly and are usually weaned by two months. Females will be mature at six months of age and males at eight to twelve months.
Natural Habitat
Found primarily in Chile and thinly in bordering parts of Argentina, with others located on the islands of 
ultimately causing the same sad death. Occasionally their pelts have been seen in markets, but it is not a common occurrence. Farmers, however, have considered kodkods as pests in the past and thus killed them. This opinion was not entirely without foundation as kodkods have always had a penchant for chicken meat and are still known to occasionally prey on domestic stocks, the farmer’s livelihood.
But, by far the biggest threat to the kodkods is the wanton destruction of their habitat and prey base. Due to logging, the over planting of pine plantations and human settlement, the kodkods are now confined to a narrow mainland coastal strip of mixed forest, with a few more populations on the nearby islands. Although, they are tolerant of altered habitats and can be found in secondary forest and shrub and near cultivated areas, as well as the forests they prefer. In particular they favour 
Their beautiful coats are yellowish-brown to greyish-brown on top and covered with dark spots. This affords incredible camouflage. The underside is pale and the tail is ringed. They have very distinctive facial markings around the nose and eyes. Melanistic kodkods are not unusual.
Very little is known about the breeding habitats of the species. They are rarely seen and none are kept in captivity. Available information suggests there is a gestation period of up to seventy-eight days after which a litter of one to three cubs will be born. There is some suggestion kodkods may be polygamous. As with other cats, parental care will probably fall to the mother, who may also teach them to hunt. The cubs will reach maturity at about two years of age and can expect to live for roughly eleven years.
Natural Habitat
The muriqui, the largest of all New World primates, has recently been divided into two separate species. Both species are considered at risk of extinction. The northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) is listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered and the southern muriqui (
coffee, sugarcane, palm (hearts) and tobacco. Mining for rock, like bauxite and granite for instance, has reeked havoc, too. And, as if that is not enough, vast swathes of land have been cleared and given over to grazing cattle. Needless to say, all the human requirements that go with this rampant destruction have greedily devoured enormous slices of the precious and essential forests as well.
There is also the ubiquitous and questionable propensity for hunting. Muriquis have been heavily hunted for food and sport since the 16th century, when the Europeans first settled in 
Northern muriquis have long limbs and long, fully prehensile tails. The combination allows for optimum agility when moving through the trees. Males and females are almost identical in appearance with coats of brownish-grey and marked faces. Babies are born with black faces which then become mottled with age, developing typical pink blotches. Males and females are also roughly identical in size. Adult males weigh in at an average twenty-seven pounds and can extend to almost five feet from the head to the end of the tail.
Both arboreal and diurnal, muriquis live in mixed troops of up to eighty individuals. Unusually for primates, they are not territorial and little aggression is ever displayed between members of the troop. Indeed, they are rather affectionate toward each other. Although they don’t seem to indulge in a lot of social grooming, a great deal of hugging does take place.
Infants will only be weaned between the ages of eighteen and thirty months, and it will be between six and eleven years before they are mature enough to reproduce. Until weaning is complete, mother and child enjoy a close relationship, which then ends abruptly with the mother chasing her offspring away. Again, unusually for primates, it is the males which remain within the natal birth troop, with females leaving to join other troops.
To its great credit, the muriqui has become a symbol of the Atlantic Forest and its vastly rich biodiversity. It now appears on postage stamps, t-shirts and posters. Its peaceful and tolerant reputation has also earned it a place on the short list of mascots for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Darwin’s fox is considered an “umbrella species”, and by protecting the primary temperate forests it inhabits, the entire ecosystem can be preserved by this one little fox. But, despite such importance, it is now critically endangered. Large scale deforestation, agriculture, firewood production, wildfires, overgrazing and human settlement have all shamelessly played their part. As have uncontrolled, non-sustainable commercial logging and local poaching (though it is not entirely clear why they are being poached).
But, there is another even greater threat to this small animal. One that is completely preventable. It seems visitors are not welcomed in the park with their dogs. But this does not stop them being there. Once inside the protected area, these same visitors irresponsibly allow their dogs to roam free. There is an abundance of domesticated dogs in Southern Chile, many of which use the park with their owners; and the park rangers have dogs, too. In fact, dogs are now considered a huge problem within the confines of these supposedly safe areas. They have chased, attacked and killed the foxes in such numbers they have become a recognised menace. Thousands of incidents have been documented including one of a dog attacking a vixen whilst feeding her cubs.
A bad perception by, and of, humans doesn’t help either. They are killed by farmers who, convinced their poultry is at risk, view them as a threat. The little foxes in turn, having learned not to fear man, stroll around in plain sight, making themselves easy to pick off. This is because they have become accustomed to visiting humans. The foxes often sleep under the parked cars as well. Sadly, most humans do not think to look before driving away, and there have been reported deaths amongst the fox population as a result. This naïve disposition, displayed by the foxes when interacting with humans, is seen as non-adaptive behaviour.
Their most protected environment is on the mainland in 
and wide, round heads and can weigh up to six-and-a-half pounds. The head and body length is about twenty-one inches with an added tail length of nine inches. It is, in fact, the smallest of all fox species. It has a thick coat of greyish-black with rust-like colouring on the legs and around the ears, and a dark grey tail. Sometimes a white band can be seen across the chest. The underside is usually pale.
The breeding season starts in October and pups have been seen emerging from the den in December, so the gestation period could be about eight weeks. A litter of two to three pups are normally born who will be weaned around February. The pups are born altricial. Both parents take part in the care of them. The new family will stay together for an unlimited period of time and previous offspring may share the parents range as well. Adults foxes tend to breed annually and individuals and can live up to seven years.
Mungai and the Goa Constrictor 