World Lion Day 2026: The Threats Facing the King of the Savanna

Today, August 10, is World Lion Day, an annual observance dedicated to raising awareness about one of the animal kingdom's most iconic, and increasingly vulnerable, species.

The day was founded in 2013 by conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert of the Big Cat Initiative, in partnership with National Geographic, with the first official observance held in Livingstone, Zambia. More than a decade later, it's grown into a global event supported by zoos, wildlife sanctuaries and conservation groups around the world.

A Species in Steep Decline

Lions once roamed across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Today, their range has shrunk dramatically. Estimates suggest there are now fewer than 25,000 wild lions remaining, some figures put the number as low as 20,000, marking a decline of more than 40% since the early 2000s. The vast majority of remaining wild lions live in sub-Saharan Africa, with notable populations in Tanzania, Kenya and Botswana. A small, isolated population of Asiatic lions also survives in India's Gir Forest, the last wild lions found outside Africa.