Jeannie+Quinn+-+Asiatic+Lion

=Asiatic Lion //(Panthera Leo Persica)//= ​

===**Location and Natural Habi****tat**=== Thousands of years ago Asiatic Lions were commonly found in southern Asia, southern Europe, eastern and central India and all throughout the whole African continent. Today the majority of the species are kept in the highly protected Gir National Park of India, the only known lions still in nature are found in Africa. The Lions inhabit open grasslands or forests, including scrub jungles.

Niche
Asiatic Lions live mostly in conservation, meaning almost everything in their habitat is controlled. Climate and living requirements are basic, lots of rain temperatures ranging from 10 degrees to 45 degrees Celsius. For living all the lions need is some shade, and lots of land to move around in. Reproduction is one thing not very controlled. Asiatic lions can reproduce throughout the year, but females can only have cubs every 2 years with a gestation period of 100 to 119 days. A female is around 3 years old before she can give birth to her own litter of cubs, in a litter there are 1 to 6 cubs. Asiatic Lions live in prides with one to two males and up to seven females. The size of the lions vary, height being around 4 feet, length being 5-9 feet including tail and weight being from 330 to 500 pound. A lions diet consist of a wide variety of prey, from wildebeests, zebras, giraffes, impalas, buffaloes and wild hogs. Sometimes they will feed on smaller animals like hares, birds and reptiles.

Endangered
The Asiatic Lion has been fighting extinction since 1900 when they were declared a endangered species. The species got close to becoming endangered in the 1800's when lion hunting became a popular sport, until it was outlawed, then the population grew a lot. The species became officially endangered because of destruction of the jungles and forests they inhabited. The jungles and forests were torn down for wood and used for commercial use because of the growing human population. Even in the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary the lions are in some danger. In the sanctuary the lions share the land with the Pastoral Malsharis who have their livestock, and forest settlement villages. Both of those where their before the land was declared a sanctuary. The lion have attracted the livestock and some of the human population. In retaliation the villagers have put out posioned bait for the lions to eat, killing them. The villagers have backed off since the lions attracts on humans and cattle lowered. Today there are around three hundred Asiatic Lions in the wildlife sanctuary, and however many are still living in Africa, that number is unknown. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) provides for the conservation of endangered and threatened species and the conservation of their ecosystems. There are around 2000 species listed in the ESA, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) share responsibility for enforcing the ESA. Normally the NMFS manages marine and anadromous species, while USFWS manages land and freshwater species.

Conservation Efforts
====== For the conservation of the Asiatic Lion species, there is the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in India. The sanctuary was started in 1910 to try and raise the population of the Asiatic Lion species. The sanctuary started with around one hundred lions and has been growing well over the time it has been open. Today there are around three hundred lions. Since the lions can only reproduce every two years the population has been growing slowly but well. The sanctuary has had some troubles, but is still working out great.

Work Cited
The Asiatic Lion Information Center. updated February 15th 2008. Retrieved 10/12/09. Asiatic Lion Information website: http://www.asiatic-lion.org/index.html

Asiatic Lion - Animal Zone. Retrieved 10/12/09. Bristol Zoo Gardens website: http://www.bristolzoo.org.uk/learning/animals/mammals/asiatic-lion

Lion, Panthera Leo - Wildlife and habitat. 2009 version. Retrieved 10/12/09. Defenders of Wildlife website: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/lion.php

Asiatic Lion, Information, Range, and Habitat - African Lions. 2006 version. Retrieved 10/9/09. Tiger Homes website: http://www.tigerhomes.org/animal/lions.cfm

Czech, Brian and Krausman, Paul. The Endangered Species Act: History, Conservation Biology, and Public Policy. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. = =