Lions are universally known as the Kings of the Jungle. But this title is actually completely wrong! Allegedly claimed to be jungle dwellers, it is one of the few territories not inhabited by lions. The misconception that he’s the king of the jungle probably stems from a wrong translation of the Indian word “jangala” and outdated beliefs about Africa being one big rainforest. Unfortunately, the territories that are actually inhabited by lions are decreasing. Are you interested in learning more about lions and more importantly, how you can help these majestic felines? Then you have come to the right place.

Lions once used to be widely spread over three continents. They roamed in Asia, Europe and the whole of Africa. Nowadays they can only be found in the sub-Saharan parts of Africa, as well as a single population of Asiatic Lions living in the Gir Forest National Park in India. The lion has always been a mythical creature, equally admired and feared. The latter of the two emotions contributed greatly to its decrease over the years. Human impact was one of the major contributors causing population decline. Due to the expansion of human settlements and the agricultural practices that came with it, the lion’s living space became continuously constricted. For centuries lions have also been poached and collected by trophy hunters. If you are an animal lover and want to volunteer with these fascinating big cats, we will gladly provide you a list of lion conservation projects and the typical work you will be executing.

The population of the remaining non-captive African lions is considered vulnerable by reports the IUCN Red List of endangered species. Regarding the fact that lions are on the top of the food chain and do not have any natural enemies, the conclusion as to why their population is drastically decreasing is quite evident. The biggest threats to the king of the beasts are manmade. As of now, there are only two distinct subspecies of the lion, namely the more popular African lion and the almost extinct Asiatic lion. The latter has only a population of about 500 individuals left, and the last wild specimen was believed to die in the 1960s in Iran. The numbers of lions in Africa is estimated to be between 23,000 and 39,000 from previously over 100,000 in the 1960’s.

The importance of the lions in maintaining a balanced ecosystem is often times neglected. In order to keep mother nature intact, it is necessary to uphold a natural order of things. Just like the demise of a small species or certain microbes could have a severe trickle-down effect on the rest of the animal kingdom, the opposite can happen, when roles get reversed. Lions being the only real predators of large animals like giraffes, elephants, rhinos, buffalos and other large herbivores, help to control population size. By a rapid reproduction in bigger herbivores, the forages of smaller animals would be in danger. Moreover, as lions prey on herd animals, which are very protective of their offspring, it is mostly the old and sick animals falling victims to the lionesses. As a result, lions are preventing diseases to spread among other herd members. Along with their environmental importance, lions are culturally important in many African tribes. Conservation is an extremely vital cause, not only to preserve lion populations but also to retain a national identity. These are just a few of the reasons for becoming active and engaging in volunteer work with lions.

Why are lions endangered?

The rapid decline of these regal cats came along with Africa’s immense population growth. Following the direct impacts of trophy hunting and killings in retaliation, prey depletion is another factor that can be attributed to the human intervention. Due to the expansion of settlements and extensive livestock farming, the territories of lions and humans have progressively merged. Former savanna grasslands became farmland that is being occupied by livestock. Often times the territories of livestock are fenced so that food niches of other herbivores are being decimated. Logically the decrease of herbivores leads to a depletion of the lion’s food possibilities. Moreover, many farmers still look upon lions as threats to their livelihoods. Thus, lions who preyed on gregarious animals were massively killed out of retaliation or threat prevention. Especially people who are raising cattle are keen on hunting the felines down, as lions are mostly responsible for killing larger cattle, as opposed to hyenas, wild dogs or cheetahs, who mostly kill sheeps and goats. Because loss of cattle is resulting in higher financial setbacks, the farmers are more likely to pursue killing lions. Especially poisoning has occurred frequently in recent times, as it is more effective and can kill several predators at once. Farmers simply poison a carcass which gets eaten by the carnivorous animals.

Another sensitive topic that always stirs up heated debates is Trophy hunting. While some people argue that trophy hunting, if done correctly, is a legitimate conservation measure, there are many possible negative effects. Trophy hunting can bring in necessary revenue while maintaining the population status intact. However, in many cases, regulatory numbers of male lion offtake have been exceeded, which means that trophy hunting is a threat.

In addition to human threats, lion cubs are facing the biggest danger within their own species. The mortality rate of lions cubs is as high as 80%, due to the hierarchical lifestyle of these big cats. Having the highest kinship of all big cats, lions live and hunt in groups called pride, that sometimes include up to 15 mature lions, with 3 males at most. Even though male lions do not hunt, they are the leaders of the prides, hence they get to eat first. Afterwards the lionesses eat, and lastly, the leftovers are being eaten by their cubs. Therefore food shortage is a major contributor to infant mortality. Further, as male lions are very territorial, they kill all the cubs of defeated rivals to produce their own offspring with the females. The reason why the cubs are being killed is because females tend not to reproduce until the cubs are almost two years of age. If they lose their cubs they will be willing to reproduce within a couple of weeks though. Nonetheless, lions are considered matriarchal animals. As females are smaller and more agile, they are far better suited to prey on victims. This means that male lions are reliant on lionesses in order to secure food. In the debate between nature versus nurture, the mothers are the providers and nurturers. Mothers cleverly observe their young's playing antics in order to determine which one will later be better suited to chase or slay their victims. These nurturing procedures are vital for the survival of their offspring.

The problem with producing new offspring has also another cause, which is worrying conservation biologists. High levels of inbreeding can result in reduced genetic variation, low reproductive performance, and increased cub mortality, as well as reduced immune competence. Yet another human-influenced cause, that tremendously affected health conditions of the Serengeti population, is climate change. Being one, or perhaps the biggest obstacle for human society, climate change wiped out large numbers of lions between 1994 and 2001. Extreme droughts followed by severe rainfalls lead to a mass dying. The two extreme weather conditions resulted in coalescing two common diseases for lions. Lions regularly resist outbreaks of CDV (canine distemper virus) infestations and Babesia (tick-borne blood parasite), but it was the simultaneous occurrence of the two diseases which the lions couldn’t withstand. So remember, even if you are currently not able to help at a conservation project, we all have the responsibility to diminish our ecological footprint and help to preserve our beautiful nature and variety of species.

What lion subspecies are there?

Looking back only about a 100 years ago, the lion population decimated by approximately 60 percent. There was a time when the only species that outnumbered lions were humans. Previously it was believed that 12 subspecies of lions existed, but today many scholars agree that there are only eight subspecies. Sadly most of these subspecies are already extinct or endangered. The only two distinct subspecies are Asian lions and African lions. The latter comprises seven out of the eight subspecies, which roam the African continent. Although at first glance you will not notice any differences between any of the subspecies, African lions have more genetic variation than their Asian cousins.

Asiatic lions or Indian lions, as they are sometimes called, used to be widely spread, ranging from the area of today's Turkey to India. Today a single subpopulation with approximately 500 lions is confined to the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in the Indian state of Gujarat. They are listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. A reason for this is that a single occurrence of an unforeseen disease or natural catastrophe, like a forest fire, could wipe out the entire species.

Out of all the different types of lions, the Southwest African or Katanga lion is the biggest and therefore most imposing subspecies. As with all lions, the males are significantly bigger and heavier than the females. Males can weigh up to 540 pounds and reach lengths of up to 10 feet, whereas females can only reach 9 feet and a weight of 380 pounds. A recognizable trademark is their lighter colored mane, in comparison to other lions. As aforementioned, phenotypical differences between lions are not very evident for the untrained eye, and the most genetical variation exists between African and Asian relatives. But there are some behavioral patterns, which distinguish them. For example, the Southwest African lion along with all his African relatives is more social than the Asian lion.

Now that you received the main facts as to why the population of the Serengeti’s majesty is declining, you probably already guessed where your journey will take you - Africa, the cradle of civilization! If you read through our previous paragraphs you already know that the only countries, where the presence of wild living lions can be witnessed, are in sub-Saharan parts of Africa. You can choose between a set of different countries, ranging from west to east all the way down to the Republic of South Africa. Other destinations in eastern Africa where you will be able to encounter the majestic wild cats are Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. Further, there are various attractive opportunities in the southern part of the continent, namely Namibia, Botswana and of course Africa’s biggest tourist destination, the Republic of South Africa.

There are many different ways how you can help one of the world’s largest big cats. Depending on the destination you decide to volunteer at, your daily activities will vary greatly but there will definitely be something for every animal lover out there. No matter if your skills lie in hands-on activities, veterinary work, or if you are rather a gifted marketing person. You will be able to apply your strengths and further develop other valuable qualities and learn a new skill. All while having the privilege to experience magnificent wildlife and beautiful sceneries up close and personal.

Your tasks as a volunteer

As mentioned before, the tasks will depend on the specific program that you decide to join. Even if you select a very specific program focus, your work will not only consist of the same daily activities. The projects are very reliant on volunteers and priorities may shift on last notice. So be prepared for everything! Although it can be stressful sometimes, you are guaranteed to avoid boredom. Volunteering is about helping the most unprivileged and therefore the ones that are most in need. So let’s start off with the most vulnerable ones, namely wildlife orphanages and centers for injured animals. While veterinary work will obviously require the necessary skills and knowledge, most orphanages do not demand volunteers to have previous knowledge. While it is obvious that children are not suited to work with dangerous wildlife it has to be stated that minors, in general, are not preferred for work with lions and other dangerous animal species. Volunteers who graduated or are currently studying veterinary medicine are always needed and very welcome. In most cases, students will be able to even serve their college placement at the different agencies or NGO’s. Prior to attending the voluntary position, it is recommended to discuss all the details with the organizations, regarding all the necessary paperwork. Based on your level of experience and knowledge, your daily tasks can include maintenance and first aid to injured animals, cleaning, feeding, hand-rearing baby orphans and providing enrichment to the animals living at the rescue centers. Veterinary students may also assist during surgeries. Different tasks that will await you on a daily basis can involve:

• assisting with all aspects of veterinary care including minor trauma
• vaccinations and conducting full health checks on all new arrivals
• rehabilitating rescued animals and settling them into new groups
• helping with a release (depends on the scheduled time of the release and your attendance of the voluntary work)
• helping with construction and the maintenance (there is always something that needs to be fixed - handy volunteers are very useful)
• educating locals on why animal conservation is important (as aforementioned, many locals still view lions as menacing intruders)

Another field of work that is that is very common at wildlife conservation projects is research. Voluntary work with a research focus will call for quantitative and qualitative data collection. Before being able to conduct proper research, you will be introduced to monitoring procedures because you will need to be in close proximity to some of the most dangerous animals. In order to guarantee the safety of all people involved it is necessary to behave appropriately and avoid drawing the animal’s attention. Further, you will learn how to track down animals in order to collect population statistics, observe lion prey selection and monitor behavioral patterns between the social felines. The latter is an integral part of integration or reintroduction of animals into the wild. Doing research work, you will also spend some time behind the desk, to evaluate your findings. Further, a moderate level of physical preparedness is required for all types of conservation work.

Further tasks that could be especially attractive for communicative and outgoing personalities involve guiding tourists around the sanctuaries, teaching at schools or stimulating stakeholder participation and looking for solutions to sustainable conservation.

Your benefits of volunteering with lions

Seeing lions roam wild in their natural habitat is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you will never forget. That alone is reason enough for many people to pack their bags and volunteer with lions in Africa. But apart from that, there are plenty of other reasons why this kind of volunteer work could be the right choice for you. If you are interested in studying biology or veterinary medicine, a volunteer program working with lions will be a great fit. You will gain hands-on experience and get a first insight into the daily work of trained wildlife experts and biologists, which will certainly come in handy at a later point in your career. Being able to list this kind of work experience on your CV is another bonus, even if you are not planning on pursuing a career in this field. It shows that you are capable of physically hard and hands-on work and that you are motivated to volunteer your free-time to a meaningful cause.

Furthermore, you will improve your language skills whilst working on site as the main language spoken is English. Immersing yourself in a foreign culture and living abroad will definitely make you grow as a person and give you a different perspective. And let’s not forget that the time you spend as a lion conservation volunteer will also be incredibly fun! You will get to enjoy all the perks of living in the pure nature, like seeing wild animals from up close, getting back to your roots and facing new challenges. The best part is that you will be surrounded by like-minded individuals that share your passion for lions and wildlife conservation. After working and living together for a while, these people might even become your close friends! If you think that joining a lion conservation project as a volunteer is just what you were looking for, then go ahead and get started right now! We would love to help you find the right project for you!