Next to the tigers, they are the largest living cats of the feline family. The tiger is the largest. The lions are the only social cats and they live in groups called prides. A single pride is made up of up to three males, fifteen females and their young ones. Females in a group are related while males once they reach maturity move from the pride in search of other groups to dominate. Since the females’ are related, they are very close to each other and they share a very tight bond. During the day, you will find them under tree shades purring, touching and licking each other affectionately. They also help each other in taking care of the young ones.
A mature lion can weigh up to 227 kg. It can be from 5 to 8 feet in length and about 4 feet tall. It is the tallest cat at the shoulders. The male lion spots a mane which covers the neck and the upper back. Its life span is about fourteen years in the wild though it can live for more than twenty in captivity. It belongs to the kingdom animalia, phylum Chordata, class mammalia, order carnivora, family felidae, and genus Panthera and species Panthera Leo. Its binomial name is Panthera Leo.
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Today the lions have greatly decreased and only about 21000 can be found in different parts of the world. In the centuries past, they used to roam freely in Africa. They can now be found only in the Sub-Sahara desert, and some parts of South and East Africa. Drought is the main cause of their decline in population. In 1994 and 2001 they died in large numbers from the Distemper disease which was caused by drought. Global warming today is greatly affecting them. During seasons of drought, they cannot get enough prey and what they get is weak and malnourished causing them too to be weak.
Human have been a major cause for their decline in population. The war between human and Lions have lasted for many centuries. Human beings have encroached forest land forcing animals to migrate to other regions or starve to death. Lions sometimes are forced to prey on cattle as their food in the forests is not enough. This causes the human to hunt and kill them mercilessly. In the Masai culture, one is considered brave and strong if he kills a lion therefore all the young men aim at this causing more problems for the innocent creatures.
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This is the most famous lion to ever walk on this planet. Her life was very short but she left a mark that will be there for many centuries to come. Elsa came in to the life of George and Joy Adamson in 1956 with her two sisters ‘Big One’ and Lustica when George was forced to kill their mother during one of his game drives. Later on, ‘Big One’ and Lustica were taken to the Rotterdam Zoo in Netherlands. Elsa remained in the care of the Adamson. A relationship soon developed and she was more of a domesticated pet that a wild lioness. Joy Adamson was closer to Elsa than anyone else and their relationship was that of equals. Joy Adamson was determined to teach Elsa how to survive in the wild and she gave it her all. With a lot of setbacks, she managed to teach her how to survive in the wild.
Elsa’s life was documented in many books and films earning her world recognition and fame. When she was three years old, she brought three cubs of her own to show the Adamsons. This was an emotionally charged moment as the Adamsons hugged and embraced Elsa and her litter. They named the cubs little Elsa, Gopa and Jespah. The four later returned to the wild but they kept in touch with the Adamsons. Elsa’s life was suddenly cut short when she was only five years old when she succumbed to an attack of babesiosis, a blood disease that mostly affects the cat’s family. Her remains were buried in the Meru National Park.
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