A hidden population of lions has been discovered in an isolated, northwestern region of Ethiopia at the Alatash National Park, which lies on Ethiopia's border with Sudan, according to The Guardian. "The confirmation that lions persist in this area is exciting news," lion conservation group Born Free Foundation said in a statement. "With lion numbers in steep decline across most of the African continent, the discovery of previously unconfirmed populations is hugely important."
Lion conservationist Hans Bauer of Oxford University, who headed the tracking expedition that discovered the previously unknown population, believes that there could be up to 200 lions in the area.
"Considering the relative ease with which lion signs were observed, it is likely that they are resident throughout Alatash and Dinder [in Sudan]," he said. "On a total surface area of about 10,000 square kilometres, this would mean a population of 100-200 lions for the entire ecosystem, of which 27-54 would be in Alatash."
"The situation is fairly positive," he added. "I think the fact that the Ethiopian government recently made it a national park is a giant leap forward. Now we have to support them in improving park management, but I think they're taking it very seriously."
The Alatash National Park was thought to have lost all of its lions in the 20th century due to the effects of hunting and habitat destruction; since the 1990s, the total number of lions in Africa has declined by approximately 50 percent, according to BBC News. Now, approximately 20,000 wild lions are left spread across Africa, although the population continues to decline and could be halved yet again over the next 20 years, according to New Scientist.
