West African Lion

The West African lion (Panthera leo leo) is a lion population in West Africa that is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. This population is isolated and comprises less than 250 mature individuals. Already in 2004, the lion population in West and Central Africa was fragmented and estimated as comprising at most 1,800 individuals.

Also known as the Senegal lion, it was formerly considered a lion subspecies under the name P. leo senegalensis. In 2017, the lion populations in North, West Africa and Central Africa and Asia were subsumed under P. l. leo.