Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE BARBARY LION - BACK FROM THE DEAD?
When Morocco's national football team - the Atlas Lions - take to the pitch, they're honouring one of
the country's most iconic animals, albeit one that has long been on the extinct species list.
The Barbary Lion was North Africa's top predator. It was the largest and heaviest of all lion subspe-
cies, with the males famed for their thick black manes. They were hunted by the Romans to provide
sport for the gladiatorial combats of the Colosseum, while Moroccan sultans later gave them as diplo-
matic gifts. Slowly exterminated across the region through hunting and habitat loss, the lions persisted
in heavily forested parts of Morocco's Atlas and Rif Mountains well into the 20th century. The last
wild lion is thought to have been shot in 1942, although recent research suggests that populations sur-
vived into the 1960s - no doubt aided by their naturally solitary behaviour, rather than living in prides
as lions do in the rest of Africa.
Remnant lion populations of mixed heritage survived in zoos across the world, including the per-
sonal zoo of the current king of Morocco. In recent years, a captive breeding program, coupled with
the latest genetic fingerprinting techniques, has been attempting to recreate a genetically pure and vi-
able population of the big cats. The ultimate aim of the International Barbary Lion Project is to create
a protected reserve in the Atlas Mountains large enough to allow a limited reintroduction program.
While this is a long way off - and the willingness of locals to share land with a top predator remains
unknown - perhaps the last roar of this magnificent animal is yet to be heard.
