A lioness ignores her prey at sunset on the plains of Kenya. Can lion hunting support conservation?

Is the condition of the lion really that dire? Fortunately, the most recent scientific data say no. A comprehensive study published last December concluded that there are between 32,000 and 35,000 lions living in the wild in Africa. The lion population is spread across 27 countries, with nine countries having populations of at least 1,000 lions. (See "The Serengeti Lion.")

Of greatest significance is the fact that 24,000 of the lions, which is at least 68 percent of the total population, live in what the study terms "strongholds." Strongholds are areas that meet "the necessary requirements for [the] long-term viability" of their lion populations.

To qualify as a stronghold, an area must meet these three criteria:

1) a population of at least 500 lions;

2) be legally protected as lion habitat, or be an area where hunting is managed; and

3) contain a population of lions whose numbers are either stable or increasing.

There are ten such areas in Africa. According to the study, the lion populations living in these areas are "large, stable, and well protected," and the populations are therefore "likely to persist into the foreseeable future."

Even the petition itself acknowledges that "one-third of all the lions on the continent could be considered secure under present conservation measures."