From Chic Silber #1

Fencing off wild lions from humans 'could save them' Nearly half of Africa's wild lions are facing extinction in 20 to 40 years unless urgent conservation measures are put in place, a report suggests. Africa's lions have suffered dramatic declines over the last 50 years. Their numbers are estimated to have fallen by about 80%. Recent surveys suggest there could be as few as 20,000 to 30,000 of the big cats left in the wild. Much of this loss has been blamed on humans. Some of the big cats have been killed because they are perceived to be a threat to livestock. Competition for land and over-hunting of their prey have reduced their numbers even further. Now conservationists say that separating wild lions from humans could be their only hope of survival. Fencing off reserves such as the Serengeti and South Africa's National Parks has helped the population. They now propose extending these schemes across Africa. The lead author of the paper is Craig Packer, an ecologist from the University of Minnesota. He said: "It is clear that fences work and unfenced populations are extremely expensive to maintain."