Animal Bio: Barbary Lion

The Barbary Lion is a rare subspecies of lion that originated in Northern Africa. Although once common, it's numbers were drastically reduced by hunting, habitat loss, and breeding with other subspecies of lion. Today, the Barbary Lion is extinct in the wild. There are only about forty of them left in captivity. Despite their status, the Barbary Lion is receiving help from us in an attempt to one day reintroduce the lion to the wild. A government funded program to round up Barbary Lions in zoos and circuses for a breeding program was established by Oxford University and Wildlink International for re-introduction in the wild but was put on hold until funds could be raised. Living Treasures Animal Park has a breeding pair of Barbary Lions which, to this date, have not yet produced offspring.

When the original Barbary Lions were first discovered, they were said to be the largest and heaviest of lions, with weights ranging from two hundred and twenty to six hundred pounds. However, eighty six years of surviving only in captivity seems to have reduced their size. The breeding pair at living treasures are smaller than most lions and are estimated to be around three hundred pounds. It has been said that early reports of Barbary Lions greatly exaggerated their size and that the size of the lions today are actually their appropriate size. No one really knows how large the Barbary Lion is supposed to be, but the only surviving ones are smaller than early reports would say.

Since the Barbary Lion became extinct in the wild sometime in the 1920's, little is known about their behavior in the wild. It is assumed that, like all lions, the Barbary Lions lived in prides. The size of these prides is currently unknown. In captivity, the lions usually only live with one other lion. It is clear that the Barbary Lion was and is a carnivore. They probably hunted in groups, like the lions of today, and most likely fed on gazelle, zebra, and other game animals in Northern Africa. Lions have a reputation for eating almost anything. During times where food is scarce, lions will eat porcupines, snakes, termites, fruit, grains, and rotten wood. It is not known if the Barbary Lion shared this trait.

There are some interesting things about the Barbary Lion. It is also known by the names of Atlas Lion or Nubian Lion. Barbary Lions once shared their home with the Atlas Bear and the Barbary Leopard. They are known for having heavier manes than most lions and have a fold of skin under the mane, much like their close cousin, the Asiatic Lion.

The future of the Barbary Lion remains uncertain. As of today, all major breeding programs for the Barbary Lion have been put on hold due to lack of funding. Several zoos have reported success in breeding Barbary Lions, but this is on a small scale. It is unknown if the Barbary Lion will ever make a comeback in the wild.