Lion

Lion

We are delighted that the Bonn, Bonn-Godesberg, Bonn-Rheinaue, Bonn-Tomburg, Bonn-Venusberg and Siebengebirge Lions Clubs have taken over the sponsorship of the lion (Panthera leo).

The nickname "king of beasts" is no coincidence: groups of lions with up to eleven females and four males form an extremely dangerous hunting group from which almost no other animal is safe. The only exceptions are adult elephants, rhinos, hippos and giraffes.

But even in a lion's life there are enemies - in its youth. After a gestation period of only 3-4 months, newborn lion cubs are still so small that they have to spend the first six weeks away from the pride in a hiding place, as hyenas, leopards or male lions from outside the pride can become dangerous to them during this time. Gradually, however, the cubs learn to cope with their future role at the top of the food chain. After around 18 months, they are able to hunt prey themselves.

However, lions do not spend as much time hunting as you might think. They are inactive for a whole 19 hours a day. As a rule, the males even stay out of the hunt and let the females do the work. Lions are the only cats that live in packs.

Apart from rainforests and core desert areas, lions inhabit almost all habitats and are widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. However, despite the fact that adult lions have no natural predators, they have long been categorised as an endangered species on the international Red List. The main reason for this is hunting by livestock farmers, who often shoot the lions as a preventative measure to protect their animals.