Due to extreme habitat loss accompanied by the dwindling of other prey species, lions struggle to find food every day. Their extreme size and strength as well as their role as obligate carnivores requires them to consume large amounts of protein. In the wild, a female lion requires a minimum of 5 kg of  protein daily while a male lion requires upwards of 7 kg. However, they possess the capability to consume up to 35 kg per day - a number next to impossible to reach in the harsh realities of the wild. Females are often forced to starve themselves in order to provide for their cubs that rely solely on them in the first few months of life in an environment where the odds are already against them. In a similar sense, African villagers struggle every day to make money, protect their children, and put food on the table for their families and community. Often times, their main source of income is their livestock which they work tirelessly to fatten for slaughter or nurture into ideal condition hoping that it will bring them good monetary return. When lions come across one of these unprotected villages, they see an easy meal. They are born opportunistic hunters who need to consume extreme amounts of food to be satisfied. With females often traveling in packs, a villager's livestock pen could easily be reduced to carcasses in mere hours. In order to ensure these lions do not return to the area, villagers will often track and kill them usually in extreme fashion. Some of the more common methods include poisoning or spearing. Recently, the rate of  wildlife poisoning in Africa has escalated due to its ability to not only take out one single lion at a time, but rather the entire pride. Poison is also wildly available and fairly inexpensive.  

 

The world is a cruel place. African villagers act out in protection of their families, food source, and to protect their livelihood. But what are the lions doing? The exact same thing. 

 

They are trying to survive and provide for themselves and their offspring
 

Lions are never aware of how their behaviors affect mankind but we as humans are very aware of the impacts our actions will have. In fact, if we hadn't driven them so far off their native lands to begin with, there may be a much more peaceful existence between wildlife and man.