Rama Krishna Sangem
Former Rajya Sabha MP and Green (India Challenge founder leader J Santosh Kumar has called for protecting lions, kings and queens of jungle. He posted four pics of majestic lions on X on August 10, Sunday, the World Lions Day. “Today, we unite for the kings & queens of the wild facing threats, habitat loss, poaching & human conflict,” said @SantoshKumarBRS on his social media handle.
World Lion Day is an international annual event on August 10, dedicated to raising awareness and support for the conservation of lions. Conceived by conservationists Rae Kokeš and David Youldon, then both working for the conservation charity The African Lion & Environmental Research Trust (ALERT), with the launch event taking place in Livingstone, Zambia on August 10, 2013.
Since that time, World Lion Day is now recognized by many wildlife organizations and celebrated annually across the globe.
World Lion Day was conceived to create awareness of the conservation needs of lions, and to promote engagement with organizations undertaking conservation efforts for lions via fundraising events, donations and other means of support. Lions are listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. of threatened species, with a decreasing population of 23,000 mature individuals and a decline in the species’ range of 36% over three generations.
The first World Lion Day event was held on August 10. Since then it has been celebrated annually around the world through art, photography and cultural events with conservation and media organizations promoting events to support lion conservation efforts.
Historic reasons for lion hunting
While lions captivate us with their strength and magnificence, their population has been dwindling due to various threats such as habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching, said noted environmental magazine, Down To Eartrh in an article on the occasion.
As the world celebrates another Lion Day, it is worthwhile to remember that the lion has always been a symbol of royalty in India, like elsewhere in the world. Indian royalty, cutting across the ages, hunted lions for sport. Among them, were the rulers of the Mughal Empire, the political entity that ruled most of the subcontinent from 1526 to 1858, says the magazine.
2 Playful birds on this #SundayPhotography
Santosh posted pis of two playful birds on social media this Sunday, as part of his #weekendphotography. Most commented on these pics commended his photographic skills in capturing two birds playing (or fighting) with each other in the air.
