African lion populations are declining due to prey loss, habitat fragmentation, and retaliatory killing by herders, requiring coexistence solutions that protect both lions and livelihoods.
Lions killed in retaliation for livestock predation often die slowly from poison or spear wounds. Cubs orphaned when pride females are killed face death from starvation or competing males. For the lions, prey depletion from bushmeat hunting is a food security crisis that forces dangerous human contact. The fundamental welfare problem - lions starving in depleted landscapes turn to livestock - requires addressing prey availability rather than just containing lion behavior. Coexistence programs that restore prey and compensate farmers address root causes.