Endangered Animals and Lions

Numerous wild cats are considered endangered species, including lions, tigers, cheetahs and leopards. Endangered animals have low population numbers and are close to extinction because of predators or environmental concerns. Laws have been implemented to protect these species from poachers, and conversations and zoos have been created to ensure the big cats survive.

  1. Asiatic Lion

    • The Asiatic lion, which lives primarily in India, has been on the endangered species list since 1970. Males can reach up to 500 pounds while females weigh about 400 pounds. The species once lived in a large swath of land stretching from Greece to India, though they slowly died away due to overhunting by humans. Many of the remaining lions live in the Gir, which is a lion sanctuary in India designed to stabilize the population.

    White Tiger

    • The endangered white tiger is one of the largest wild cats in the world and can reach up to 9 feet in length and weigh more than 500 pounds. While there are less than 8,000 white tigers left in Russia and China, they are a popular attraction in zoos all over the world. White tigers prey on deer, cattle and wild prey. Poachers have used their remains on the black market for medicinal purposes in Chinese medicine.

    Cheetah

    • Cheetahs are very fast land animals and can accelerate up to 68 mph in three seconds and reach maximum speeds of 75 mph. As of 2011, there are just over 12,000 cheetahs on the planet, with the highest population living in Namibia, Africa. This animal reached the endangered list because of poachers and loss of habitat. Cheetah cubs also have a high mortality rate, because they fall prey to lions and other carnivores.

    Snow Leopard

    • Snow leopards live primarily in the mountains within the central Asia region. There are approximately 7,000 left on the planet, and they have been on the endangered list since 1972. In addition to leaping distances of up to 30 feet, they reach almost 8 feet in length and weigh about 120 pounds. Snow leopards are able to camouflage into their surroundings to prey on smaller animals, such as sheep, goats and birds.