This is from the BBC website. I'm not sure about the researcher's numbers, but don't do a "knee-jerk" until you read the whole article. His recommendation for saving the lion is more sport hunting.

Lions 'close to extinction'
Lion populations have fallen by almost 90% in the past 20 years, leaving the animal close to extinction in Africa, a wildlife expert has warned.

There are now only 23,000 left, compared to an estimated 200,000 two decades ago, according to Laurence Frank, a wildlife biologist from the University of California.
Drawing on a study in Kenya, he says that the only hope for lions and other predators is for humans and wildlife to live together.

Clare Wallerstein of the International Fund for Wildlife Welfare told the BBC that the problem would get worse as Kenya's human population doubled in the next 12 years.

Populations plummeting

Interviewed in New Scientist magazine, Dr Frank says "It's not just lions. Populations of all African predators are plummeting."

The wild dog population has fallen to between 3,500 and 5,000 and there are now fewer than 15,000 cheetahs.

"People know about elephants, gorillas and rhinos, but they seem blissfully unaware that these large carnivores are nearing the brink," he says.

Dr Frank blamed the decline in predator numbers on people killing them to protect livestock.

"People have always killed predators," he says. "But there's only so much damage you can do with spears and shields."

"Now everyone has got rifles and poisons."

His study of the Laikipia region of Kenya convinced him that predators and farmers could co-exist peacefully.

Improved fencing and dogs to raise the alarm when predators approach could cut attacks drastically.

But with each lion killing livestock worth on average �200 a year, equivalent to one cow or three sheep, "bullets and poison are always cheaper than good husbandry".

Controversially, Dr Frank says the only solution is for local people to earn money from the predators, either through tourism or through sport hunting.

"In Laikipia you could make half a million dollars a year by shooting the problem animals that are going to be killed anyhow," he says.

Well this is sad news.
There are too manny AK 47's in Africa. I guess the best wa to save lions and other animals in Kenya is to open up commercial hunting that gives the people and economic outcome by preserving the wild animals and nature.

Some claim that the populations in Africa will decline soon since you will have more people infected by HIV or Aids.

/ JOHAN

Jack Atcheson, the world reknown booking agent, has always used the term "Hunt now, while you are physically able", or something like that. Today, he might alter it somewhat and say "Hunt now, while they still exist". How very depressing.

Yeah, predators need to have value to the native people or they are just a nuisance. Sport hunting and ecoturism would give reason for the natives not to destroy them. Buying off the large herds of cattle would help so that there would be less predator/livestock problems.

Two points

Poison has been the lions downfall, at least this is the Zimbabwe experience, and with the free availability of both strychnine and Potassium Cyanide, Lion numbers in Zim have beed reduced to about 10% of their 1950's figures.

Cat flue ( feline adis had a major impact in the Zambezi Valley in 1994/95 and whiped out about 80% of that population, but since then the valley lions population has increased stedily despite hunting.

Point two. How the #$%@! do you count lions accurately! The eco-tourist guides and some pseduo-scientists were complaining that hunting arround the borders of Mana Pools National park was wiping out the lions. My colegue, Senior Ecologist Norman Monks has spent two years collering key individuals in the prides and tracking the lions on foot.

The results are to be published in the African Journal of ecology sometime in 2005!!! (yes that is how long scientific article take for review and publication and a more reader friendly edition is to appear in the show special edition of the African Hunter later this year. In brief, The lions are increasing niceley thankyou. Human disterbance by ecotourists is keeping them under-cover.

Also , you tend only to hear the oppinions of "big name" scienists with at least a doctorate under their belts. Parks ecologists may not be the best scientists in the world and most of us are still working on our doctrates if not masters but at least living with the animals day in for years you do get an accurate feel for what is going on. Would be nice if visiting scientists and even head office took a little bit of notice of what we say and the data collected.