Only 20 thousand lions still living in the wild because trophy hunting ends the life of over 600 lions a year.
I am Kira, a fearless lioness and one of the biggest celebrities here at Al Ain Zoo; on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), I am classified as endangered species. As a species, we are only 2,300 left in the South African Wilderness and World-wide our population has dropped by 90% in the last decade.
As highly coveted wild animals, we face numerous challenges like urban sprawl, loss of natural habitats, illegal pet trade, Ken hunting or trophy hunting – embalming of the species bodies and heads for decoration as a status symbol of strength and power. For these reasons Wild Lion numbers have decreased.
Conservation awareness: Al Ain Zoo raises Conservation awareness in several ways e.g.: supports Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, supports the ban on illegal pet trade, supports a ban on Ken Hunting and offers fun and recreational zoo activities to educate the public for example: Al Ain Zoo guest can experience - Dinner with Lions, Lion Feeding Adventure, Lion Kingdome, Cheetah Run, and Lion Feeding.
I’m lucky to be part of a place who cares about wildlife conservation. Did you know that Al Ain zoo is supporting insitu conservation projects and research of arid lands wildlife and to conserve endangered wildlife through Lewa Wildlife Conservancy partnership? AAZ and LWC share responsibility to raise awareness to the public and support the ban on illegal pet trade and ken hunting.
In addition, Al Ain Zoo offers fun and recreational zoo activities to educate the public, like the Dinner with Lions experience and the Lion Feeding Adventure, Lion Kingdome, Cheetah Run and Lion Feeding.