ARTICLE:

THE LIONS IMPORTANCE

It is important to fight for animal welfare…? Lion is one the most important and representative specie around the world but unfortunately has been used as way to earn money,  for instance the lion skin has been used in producing the best clothing and footwear because of  its quality.

Why lions should be protected?  To answer this question it is important to say Lion is a big strong animal from the cat family. If we think of lions in isolation, there are no specific sue of lions for human beings. But when we think of lions as a part of the nature and the eco-system within this nature, lion is an important part and a link in the eco-system. Thus lion is important to the humans for maintaining the eco-systems of which lions are generally a part.

Of course, lions do form some attraction for humans in zoos, circuses, and in wild animal sanctuaries. But, it is important that humans recognize lions as something valuable in itself and preserve them for their intrinsic value rather than for some materialistic benefits received from lions.

 3.  What are the key results of your work? : In the segment about protecting African lions, we mistakenly said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed they should be listed as an endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service actually proposed listing the species as threatened, not endangered. Under the law, endangered species are in danger of becoming extinct. Threatened species are those that may become endangered in the foreseeable future.

Whit this in mind it is important to say that there are several reasons to protect big cats for instance:

Tanzania has regulated hunting for decades; female and younger lions are completely protected, and the hunting of males is limited by quotas set for each hunting area in the country. We recently made it illegal to hunt male lions younger than 6 years old to ensure that reproductively active animals remained with their prides. And proposed amendments to our wildlife law would further crack down on the export of lions taken illegally, penalize hunting companies that violated our rules and reward those that complied.

Africa, of course, is endowed with a tremendous wealth of wildlife, and Tanzania has been particularly blessed. We have roughly 130,000 elephants, two of Africa’s three largest populations of wild dogs, and spectacular landscapes like the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Mount Kilimanjaro. We have placed nearly a third of our land in national parks, game reserves and wildlife management areas.

As a conclusion it is important to say that Lions are at the top of the food chain, but remain vulnerable to human persecution. Besides Male lions defend territorial borders while females handle most of the hunting. Male lions defend territorial borders while females handle most of the hunting.

Predatory Role: All ecosystems exist on a foundation of feeder microorganisms and other small creatures, like bacteria and plankton. Alterations in the food chain at this lowest level can shock the entire system. However, lions and other predators that dominate the top of the local food chain are also vital to an ecosystem's health. Lions are carnivores and have no natural predators besides man, which makes them apex predators or keystone species. They cull populations of herbivores and smaller carnivores through predation. Without lions, some creatures would overpopulate. Removing apex predators can be just as bad if not worse for an ecosystem as removing a building block species from the bottom of the food chain, according to the Yale University Environment 360 website.

 Secondly Historical and Cultural Significance lions have been depicted in works of art and written record for thousands of years. These regal cats are the "standard" lions known around the world with tan bodies and darker manes. Flags and banners of various historical and modern nations include images of these big cats. They are also the inspiration for corporate logos and other modern symbols. African lions are the only cats that hunt, travel and socialize as a group on a regular basis, according to Africa Travel Portal. This makes them interesting targets for animal behavior researchers. Groups of lions, called prides, contain one to three males and up to 10 females.

What did you learn about Africa's big cats? Of all the species found here, lions are particularly important because they draw visitors from throughout the world — visitors who support our tourism industry and economy. Many of these visitors only take pictures. But others pay thousands of dollars to pursue lions with rifles and take home trophies from what is often a once-in-a-lifetime hunt. Those hunters spend 10 to 25 times more than regular tourists and travel to (and spend money in) remote areas rarely visited by photographic tourists.

BY: ORTIZ LENEY 2/06/2015