African lions are one of the world's favourite animals. But their numbers have been shrinking over the past century, especially over the past 30 years. Some scientists estimate that their numbers have halved since 1994.
Estimates of the total population of Africa's king of beasts vary, but a recent CITES report suggested that only about 25,000 remain in the wild, across 102 populations in Africa. But the numbers in this report aren't particularly reliable. Most used traditional survey approaches - like counts of lion footprints, audio lure surveys or expert opinion - and many were not peer-reviewed.
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