World Lion Day is celebrated every year on 10 August. The day is observed around the world to raise awareness about lions and the urgent need to work towards its conservation.
Lions, also popularly referred to as 'king of the jungle' is on the verge of silent extinction all over the world. But this wasn't the concern always.
According to NewsOnAIR, around three million years ago, lions roamed nonchalantly across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. However, a lot has changed causing a significant decline in the population of lions. The world has lost around 95 percent of its lion population in a period of five decades.
World Lion Day: History
The first World Lion Day was celebrated in the year 2013. It was founded by Dereck and Beverly Joubert of the Big Cat Initiative and National Geographic. Their aim was to protect lions in their natural habitat. They also work on safety measures with communities that live near wild cats.
Why is World Lion Day Celebrated?
As mentioned above, World Lion Day is observed to raise awareness about the importance of conservation of lions. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in its Red List of Threatened Species has listed lions as a vulnerable species. Currently, there are about 30,000 to 1,00,000 lion left on earth, reported NewsOnAIR.
Therefore, it is important to raise awareness about the dangers faced by lions, and to protect its natural habitat and creating more such habitats for its safety.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)