As a travel writer one of the questions I get asked is: ‘’Are there lions in Mole Park?’’ This usually reminds me of the Ghanaian phrase concerning what could be hiding inside Dodowa Forest. Of course, curious tourists would always wonder, especially, as Mole doesn’t announce itself as a big cat viewing destination.

This year’s World Wildlife Day has just been marked and the theme was on big Cats as Predators being under attack. Ironic, won’t you say? But it is the reality. Strong and majestic as they are, these predators are facing varied threats which are mostly caused by human activities. Africa, the second largest continent in the world, is home to several species of these wild animals. They are generally, admired for their grace, power and speed but their survival is at the mercy of habitat loss, climate change, poaching and illicit trafficking as well as human-wildlife conflicts.

The 2018 edition of World Wildlife Day celebration was therefore dedicated to raising worldwide awareness on Big Cats and the threats to their existence. Lions, leopards and cheetahs face impending extinction if nothing is done to protect their habitats and save them from current threats. This is especially the case in Africa where surveillance is not as tight.
The term “big cat” is typically used to refer to any of the five living members of the Panthera, namely tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard and snow leopard. Except the snow leopard, these species are able to roar. A more liberal and expansive definition of the term includes species outside of Panthera including the cougar, clouded leopard, Sunda clouded leopard and cheetah, although these added species also do not roar.

Despite enormous differences in size, various cat species are quite similar in both structure and behaviour, with the exception of the cheetah, which significantly stands out from the other big and small cats. All cats are carnivores and efficient apex predators. Their range includes the Americas, Africa, and Asia. It is estimated that the ancestors of most big cats split away from the Felinae about 6.37 million years ago. Oh yes, that little cat at home actually shares direct ancestry with the lion.

The ability to roar comes from an elongated and specially adapted larynx and apparatus. When air passes through the larynx on the way from the lungs, the cartilage walls of the larynx vibrate, producing sound. The lion’s larynx is longest, giving it the most robust roar.

The principal threats to big cats vary by geographic location, but primarily are habitat destruction and poaching. In Africa many big cats are hunted by pastoralists or government ‘problem animal control’ officers. Certain protected areas exist that shelter large and exceptionally visible populations of African leopards, lions and cheetahs, such as Botswana’s Chobe, Kenya’s Masai Mara, and Tanzania’s Serengeti. Rather, it is outside these conservation areas where hunting poses the dominant threat to large carnivores.

Lions for instance which once roamed the continent have seen a sharp decline in their population in the past decades. In North Africa, for example, they can no longer be found. As for West Africa it is currently estimated that less than 400 lions remain.

This is surprising because not too many years ago, lions and leopards were common across the region. It was very common in the past to find them at the Mole National Park and in some parts of the savannah regions of Ghana. Beyond that folktales abound with the presence of big cats.
Now the situation has become different with the species becoming rare. Recently studies on the historical and current status of lions in Ghana indicate that, a couple of them were sighted by poachers. Others have also confirmed their roars heard from a distance.

By: Kofi Akpabli – Travel Writer

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