World Lion Day Date in the current year: August 10, 2024

The lion is a large cat species that belongs to the genus Panthera, which also comprises the jaguar, leopard, tiger, and snow leopard. Lions inhabit grasslands, shrublands and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa and western India. However, their range used to be much wider; during the Neolithic period, lions could be found in Africa, North India, Western Asia, Southeast Europe, and the Caucasus.

The lion has been an important cultural symbol to humans for tens of thousands of years. Cave paintings of these magnificent big cats date to between 32,000 and 15,000 years ago. There are mentions of lions in the mythologies of Ancient Egypt, ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, ancient Persia, ancient India, and ancient China. References to lions are also present in Jewish and Christian traditions. In most cultures, the lion is associated with courage, bravery, chivalry, and royalty.

The lion is a sexually dimorphic species, which means male and female lions are easy to tell apart. Female lions are smaller than males and don’t have a mane. Lions are social animals that live in family groups called prides. The average pride consists of around 15 lions: up to four males, several adult females, and their cubs. Once the male cubs reach maturity, they are excluded from their birth pride. Female lions usually hunt, while male lions defend the territory of their pride.

Lion populations in Africa has declined by more than 40% over the past three decades. Because of this, lions are classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This means that they face a high risk of extinction in the medium-term future unless the circumstances that are threatening their survival improve. Asiatic lions specifically are listed as endangered.

The main threats faced by lions in the wild are prey decline, habitat loss, climate change, human-wildlife conflict, and illegal wildlife trade. To preserve lion populations, several protected areas have been created in Africa. The only wildlife sanctuary for Asiatic lions is Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in the Indian stage of Gujarat.

World Lion Day was launched in 2013 by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, award-winning filmmakers, wildlife conversationalists, and founders of the Big Cat Initiative (in partnership with the National Geographic Society and National Geographic Explorers at Large). The main goal of the observance is to raise lion conservation awareness and recognize the environmental, cultural and economic importance of lions.

There are many ways to observe World Lion Day. You can visit a local zoo that has lions, read a book or watch a documentary to learn more about these amazing big cats and their conservation status, or donate to a lion conservation organization. And don’t forget to spread the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtag #WorldLionDay.