Review of the status of African lion (Panthera leo) in Ethiopia

Abstract

African lion (Panthera leo), is an important species in the Ethiopian ecosystems. However, significant lion populations and their suitable habitats in many of their former ranges in Ethiopia have declined over time due to socioeconomic uncertainty and the resulting ecological imbalances. Despite this general trend, it is equally noted that there is a lack of verifiable data which depicts the past and current status of African lions. Thus, very little is known about the species in question in most of its ranges. Available published and unpublished reports and manuscripts on the target species were reviewed in order to examine and document the status of the African lion in Ethiopia. From our review, we concluded that the lion numbers are still low and declining whilst considerable ranges have been identified through the field assessments conducted in the last two decades. African lions in Ethiopia have been under serious threat from various anthropogenic activities and it is therefore recommended to effectively implement the national conservation action plan for lion and undertake further field assessment on its habitats. This study suggests the establishment of a national Red list category for the threatened species based on the final reports of our assessments.

Large carnivore distribution, conflicts and threats in the east of the Somali region, Ethiopia

“…Ethiopia has a complete carnivore guild, but for most species little has been published internationally on the current status of their populations. Notable exceptions are the work on the Ethiopian wolf Canis simensis (Haydon et al., 2006; Sillero‐Zubiri et al., 2016), spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta (Yirga et al., 2017; Yirga, Ersino, et al., 2012) and lion Panthera leo (Gebresenbet et al., 2018; Gebretensae & Kebede, 2022; Yirga et al., 2021). The ecology of cheetah Acinonyx jubatus , leopard Panthera pardus and wild dog Lycaon pictus have not been investigated in Ethiopia, but savannah habitats in the South of Ethiopia are considered suitable habitat (EWCA, 2012).…”