Lost lion population discovered in remote Ethiopia park

A previously undiscovered population of lions has been found in a remote national park in Ethiopia.

Following an exploratory expedition, wildlife conservationists from Oxford University in England were able to confirm anecdotal stories from park staff and locals of lions living in the Alatash National Park in North West Ethiopia, a nearly 660,000-acre preserve established by Ethiopia in 2006.

The Alatash expedition was led by Hans Bauer, a renowned lion conservationist working for the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at Oxford University. Not only did Bauer's team find fresh lion tracks in the park, but their camera traps also captured indisputable photographic evidence. While they didn't venture into Sudan's adjacent (and larger) Dinder National Park, they say lions exist there, too.

This may be one of the last discoveries of an "unknown" lion population, but thankfully it comes while there's still time to save the popular species. As Born Free CEO Adam Roberts points out, news like this can help spur action to preserve rare wildlife as well as the habitats on which their survival hinges.


Source: Mother Nature Network
Wed 3 Feb 2016 at 08:39