World Lion Day: Theme, History, Importance, Quotes, Celebration

4to40.com August 9, 2024 Public Awareness 211 Views

World Lion Day: Lion Day is an opportunity to call out the challenges faced by wild cats. According to National Geographic, “Habitat loss, poaching, and human conflict are threatening the very existence of lions, tigers and other big cats in the wild.”

World Lion Day: World Lion Day on August 10 is annually observed to celebrate the life of the ‘King Of The Jungle’. The day was founded by the Big Cat Rescue team which was further joined by National Geographic Organisation. It serves as a reminder for people to act on the challenges faced by lions across the globe to maintain the ecological and cultural balance around the world.

World Lion Day: Theme

The theme for World Lion Day is yet not announced.

History:

Big Cat Rescue, the world’s largest accredited lion sanctuary, established World Lion Day in 2013. It was co-founded by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, a husband-and-wife team who recognised the need to draw attention to declining lion populations and the constant threats faced by them. The Jouberts approached “National Geographic” in 2009 to create the Big Cat Initiative (B.C.I.).

Lion Coloring Pages

Later they launched an initiative to unite National Geographic and the Big Cat Initiative under a single banner to protect the remaining lions. Since then, World Lion Day has been observed annually on 10 August to raise awareness about lion conservation issues and to celebrate the beauty and significance of these emblematic big cats.

World Lion Day
Particular	Details
Celebration Date:	August 10th
Scientific Name:	Panthera leo
Subspecies:	African Lion (Panthera leo leo) Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica)
Lion Population in World:	Approximately 20,000 (IUCN)
Lion Population in India:	674 (Lion Census 2020)
Habitat:	Savannas, Shrublands, and Semi-arid deserts
Distribution:	Sub-Saharan Africa Small population in Gir Forest National Park, Gujarat, India
IUCN Red List Status:	African Lion: Vulnerable (Globally) Asiatic Lion: Endangered
Protection:	CITES: Appendix I for populations of India Appendix II for all other populations Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I

Why is World Lion Day important?

Lions are facing huge threats

The number of lions in the wild has dropped dramatically, and this trend is continuing. The population of African lions, for example, has dropped by 43% since 2001. Without our help, lion populations may never recover.

Lions are exploited

Lions aren’t typical farmyard animals, but thousands of lions are farmed around the world for their bones and other body parts. These are often used in traditional medicine, despite no evidence that they work. These animals have short, brutal lives of suffering.

Lions have empathy

Lions are social animals and they are able to empathise with other members of their pride. For example, they experience contagious yawning just like humans.

Lions are intelligent

Like many other animals, lions are able to solve puzzles to obtain food. Unusually, they can also learn how to solve a puzzle simply by watching another lion solve it first. This shows a higher level of intelligence and social connection than most other animals.

How To Draw Lion

Why is World Lion Day celebrated?

As per the Red List of Threatened Species by IUCN, lions are designated as a vulnerable species. And in numbers, there are only 30,000 to 100,000 lions left in the world. So, it becomes a dire need to take crucial steps to save and increase the population of lions.

World Lion Day plays an important role by raising awareness and taking action for the conservation of natural habitats for the survival of lions. The day aims to gather support and cooperation globally, initiate conversations and build a community that acts and encourages to save the majestic big cats.

Do You Know? Asiatic Lion vs African Lion Difference
Feature	Asiatic Lion	African Lion
Habitat:	Gir National Park, India	Sub-Saharan Africa
Mane:	Shorter mane	Fuller, more prominent mane
Population:	About 674	Approximately 20,000
Body Size:	Slightly smaller	Larger and more robust
Behavior:	More solitary	Lives in larger prides

World Lion Day: Famous Quotes

A lion sleeps in the heart of every brave man. ~ Turkish Proverb
It is better to go in the dark when the road must pass a lion and there is no other road. ~ Robert E. Howard
An injured lion still wants to roar. ~ Randy Pausch
The lion does not need the whole world to fear him, only those nearest where he roams. ~ A. J. Darkholme
Love has the face of a goddess, but the talons of a lion. ~ Ivan Panin
Courage is poorly housed that dwells in numbers; the lion never counts the herd that are about him, nor weighs how many flocks he has to scatter. ~ Aaron Hill
The truth is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. It will defend itself. ~ St. Augustine
A lion doesn’t concern itself with the opinion of sheep.-George R.R. Martin
It is no accident that the photographer becomes a photographer any more than the lion tamer becomes a lion tamer. ~ Dorothea Lange
The lion is an emblem of the dream of absolute power — and, as a wild rather than a domestic animal, he belongs to a world outside the realm of society and culture. ~ Charles H. Hinnant
The lion is, however, rarely heard – much more seldom seen. – John Hanning Speke.
If ever you feel like an animal among men, be a lion.-Criss Jami,
The difference between a brave man and a coward is a coward thinks twice before jumping in the cage with a lion. The brave man doesn’t know what a lion is. He just thinks he does. ~ Charles Bukowski
The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom. – Osho
Truth does not sit in a cave and hide like a lie. It wanders around proudly and roars loudly like a lion. – Suzy Kassem
Familiarity makes the lion more dangerous. – Jocelyn Murray
Whatever you do; do it like a lion, wholeheartedly. – Harsh Tiwari
It’s not in the nature of the lamb to mourn the lion. – Peter Watts
A dog might feel as majestic as a lion, might bark as loud as a roar, might have a heart as mighty and brave as Lion’s heart, But at the end of the day, a dog is a dog and a lion is a lion. – Charlyn Khater
The lion never fears to walk alone. – Lailah Gifty Akita

In conclusion, World Lion Day is an event to promote the conservation of big cats. Also, it initiates conversations about the challenges and threats to natural habitats and wildlife.