Photo 
 
 At first the police in the southeastern city of Wenzhou suspected the two men were loading a human corpse into their S.U.V. The person-shaped object they were carrying was wrapped in a striped tarpaulin, of the kind commonly seen on construction sites across China, and bound in rope. 
 
 So Zheng Chuan and Li Kewu, Wenzhou city special police officers who were on their way to a training session Wednesday morning, stopped their vehicle to investigate, the news portal Wenzhou Online reported. Further arousing their suspicions, one of the men immediately fled the scene. 
 
 But when they unwrapped the tarpaulin, the two officers were stunned to find a dead tiger. The police apprehended the man who had remained by the S.U.V. and impounded the tiger and the vehicle, according to a notice posted on an official Sina Weibo account. 
 
 The police identified the man in custody as the owner of the S.U.V., a 31-year-old surnamed Wang from Fuzhou, in Jiangxi Province, and said they had detained him on suspicion of illegal trade in an endangered species. The police report said the authorities suspected the carcass to be of a Siberian, or Amur, tiger, one of the world’s most endangered animals, and had sent samples to be tested. As of Thursday, the police said the investigation was continuing. No information was released on the suspect who ran away. 
 
 Under Chinese criminal law, anyone convicted of illegally capturing, killing or trading in endangered species can face fines and 10 years in prison. 
 
 According to the conservation group W.W.F., there are now only around 450 Siberian tigers left in the wild, mostly in Russia. The Siberian tiger was once thought to be extinct in China because of environmental degradation and poaching, but government and nongovernmental organization efforts to protect the tigers’ natural habitat in the northeast have met with some success in recent years. Forestry officials estimated in 2013 that there were 18 to 22 wild Siberian tigers in China. 
 
 The captive tiger population is much larger. In a report last year, the London-based conservation group Environmental Investigation Agency estimated that China had 5,000 to 6,000 tigers in captivity, including Siberian tigers. 
 
 Visitors to the Harbin Siberian Tiger Park in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang can take bus tours through a vast outdoor reserve that is home to more than 600 captive Siberian tigers, as well as lions and other large cats. Tigers, solitary animals by nature, can be see congregating in groups at the park, where their diet is fortified by the occasional chicken or sheep that tourists can pay to have released. 
 
 A significant threat to the tiger population, animal conservation groups say, comes from increasing demand for tiger skins and tiger bone wine, which is thought to have medicinal qualities. Although China has ratified the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which also calls for prohibitions on domestic trade, the Environmental Investigation Agency says that China continues to allow trade in tiger parts from captive tigers. 
 
 Rising demand from a growing middle class in China has also stimulated trade in other animal products in recent years, including elephant ivory. The government has taken steps to crack down on this illegal trade, most recently winning plaudits from conservationist organizations for destroying more than six tons of confiscated ivory. ||||| | 23 
 
 The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American. 
 
 
 
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 Physically and emotionally demanding. That’s how Philipp Henschel, Lion Program Survey Coordinator for the big-cat conservation organization Panthera, describes the six years he and other researchers spent combing the wilds of 17 nations looking for the elusive and rarely studied West African lion. The results of their quest were disheartening to say the least. Back in 2005, before the survey began, West African lions were believed to live in 21 different protected areas. But now a paper about the survey, published today in PLoS One, confirms that lions actually exist in just four of those sites. Worse still, the researchers estimate that the total population for West African lions is only about 400 animals, including fewer than 250 mature individuals of breeding age. 
 
 West African lions—historically referred to as the subspecies Panthera leo senegalensis, although that taxonomic designation is not currently in use—are smaller than and genetically distinct from their southern and eastern African relatives, which are also in decline and currently number about 35,000 big cats. Recent genetic tests link them more closely to the extinct Barbary lion of northern Africa and the critically endangered Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) in India, which also has a population of about 450 animals. 
 
 Although shocking, the news of the lions’ near extinction should probably not come as a surprise given the context of the region. The populations of other large mammal species declined an average of 85 percent in West Africa between 1970 and 2005, mostly to feed the voracious demand of the bushmeat trade. The 11 nations of West Africa are among the poorest on earth and include six of the world’s least developed countries. The countries in the region have no money for conservation, and the study found that most of the protected areas that were expected to contain lions had little to no enforcement, security patrols or management. National parks are frequently overrun by tens of thousands of domesticated cattle. Henschel describes many of the so-called protected areas as “paper parks”—conservation sites in name only. 
 
 Devastating Realization 
 
 The research team conducted in-person surveys in 13 of the 21 protected areas—each of which was larger than 500 square kilometers—and relied on field reports from scientists studying other species in the eight smaller sites. Although some of the work could be done from vehicles, that wasn’t an option in many sites. “Due to the complete lack of roads in some protected areas, we had to conduct all survey work on foot in those areas, hiking up to 600 kilometers through rough terrain during individual surveys,” Henschel says. The research was also sometimes quite dangerous. “Encounters with aggressive poachers, and, in some countries, rebel groups, were frequent.” 
 
 The human encounters also illustrated some of the dangers the lions face (the cats are often killed as pests). “In many of the protected areas we surveyed, we also conducted interviews with various groups about the potential presence of lions,” Henschel says. “One group we targeted for interviews were herders of the Fulani ethnic group, which is the largest migratory pastoralist group in Africa, and extends across all of West Africa. We often encountered Fulani herders and their cattle deep inside protected areas, and individuals interviewed almost uniformly admitted to carrying poison to kill any lions that attacked their herds.” 
 
 Even harder than the travel was the fact that the researchers rarely saw evidence of any lions. “It was devastating to realize that despite all this physical effort, despite weeks spent searching for spoor, no lion sign could be found in so many areas,” he says. 
 
 But their work was not completely in vain. They did find spoors, tracks and other evidence of lions in the four sites and ever-so-rarely laid eyes on an actual lion. Henschel says the most rewarding encounter occurred in Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park. They had been searching the area for more than a month under extreme heat—”over 95 degrees Fahrenheit even at night”— when they finally spotted a big cat. “What says it all, concerning the rarity of the lion in the park, is that not one of my four survey team members, all long-serving national park service staff, had ever seen a lion in their lives. It was extremely rewarding to see how excited they all were to finally have seen the animal that is also a symbol of national pride in Senegal.” 
 
 The Counts 
 
 The researchers found the most West African lions in W-Arly-Pendjari, a complex of parks that crosses the borders of Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger, which they estimate to hold about 350 big cats. The three other sites in Senegal and Nigeria are each estimated to have fewer than 50 lions. None of the sites are anywhere near each other, as you can see in the map below: 
 
 (The map also shows the sites of two possible but unconfirmed lion sites in Guinea. No lions have been seen there in more than 10 years, but the authors write in their paper that “credible reports of vocalizations suggest they may still be present.”) 
 
 In addition to their low numbers, the lions also live at a very low density of about 1 lion per 100 square kilometers. Lions in East Africa live in populations fifteen times denser. Despite this stretched out distribution, Henschel reports the good news that cubs were observed, both in person and via their spoor, meaning the cats are finding each other well enough to mate. “Lions at all four sites where the species was confirmed present are still reproducing successfully,” he says. 
 
 What Comes Next? 
 
 “Now that this massive survey effort has been concluded,” Henschel says, “we finally know where lions remain and where we need to invest our efforts to save them. This was a vital first step, but the real work of saving them is only just beginning. Even the protected areas that retain lions are understaffed and underequipped. We intend to assist lion range countries in improving management effectiveness of the areas containing lions by helping them to increase the numbers, expertise, and operating budgets of enforcement personnel in protected areas with lions.” He says that will help to “curb the killing of lion prey and illegal incursions into protected areas by pastoralists.” 
 
 Beyond that, the genetic material collected from lion droppings during the surveys will be assessed to determine the animals’ genetic diversity and health. Along those same lines, the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group, which determines the conservation status of wild cats around the world, is also tackling the thorny issue of lion taxonomy, which may result in new classification for the West African lion. The IUCN currently lists the West African lion as a population, not a separate subspecies, and considers it to be endangered. “If West African lions were indeed classified as a separate subspecies by IUCN/SSC, we would recommend listing them as Critically Endangered,” Henschel says. 
 
 Panthera president Luke Hunter, who co-authored the new study, also hopes that the world will take notice of these lions, which have been ignored until now. “Lions have undergone a catastrophic collapse in West Africa,” he said in a press release. “The countries that have managed to retain them are struggling with pervasive poverty and very little funding for conservation. To save the lion—and many other critically endangered mammals including unique populations of cheetahs, African wild dogs and elephants—will require a massive commitment of resources from the international community.” Whether that aid and assistance will materialize in one of the poorest and least supported regions on earth remains to be seen. 
 
 Previously in Extinction Countdown: 
 
 Photo: A male lion in photographed in 2012 in Pendjari National Park during Panthera’s survey of the W-Arly-Pendjari complex. © Philip Henschel/Panthera. Used with permission ||||| Surabaya. Only two days after a wildebeest was found dead in its cage, an African lion was also found dead at the Surabaya Zoo, which has been globally slammed on for its poor treatment for the animals in its care. 
 
 The 18-month-old male African Lion named Michael was found dead after its head got stuck between steel cables in his cage. 
 
 “Michael was found dead on Tuesday morning when the zoo keeper was checking his cage,” Surabaya Zoo spokesman Agus Supangkat said. 
 
 Each of the zoo’s lions spends its days in two different cages. Every morning the lions would be taken to a display cage where zoo visitors could watch them, then in the afternoon they would be moved to another cage where they slept, Agus explained. 
 
 He said the zoo used steel cables to secure the cage so zookeepers did not have to manually open or close the cage door with their hands — a safety precaution, which prevents them from being attacked by the animals. 
 
 “We are still investigating how the steel cables could entrap the African lion’s head,” Agus said. 
 
 He declined to confirm that Michael’s needless death was caused by zookeepers’ negligence. 
 
 “Michael was relatively young, he was only one-and-half-years old; it could be that he was playing around and somehow his head got stuck,” he said. 
 
 With Michael’s death there are only four African lions left at the zoo. The young lion had been rescued by East Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) before he was sent to the Surabaya zoo in March last year. 
 
 Surabaya Police have meanwhile started an investigation into the lion’s death. 
 
 Surabaya Police detectives chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Farman said a team has visited the zoo to gather evidence but the lion’s corpse had been removed. 
 
 Farhan would not say whether police believe the zoo was trying to hamper the investigation by getting rid of the lion’s remains. 
 
 “We are going to wait for the autopsy results, then we can further examine the case,” he said. 
 
 On Sunday evening a wildebeest was found dead in its cage. 
 
 Agus said signs of the wildebeest’s deteriorating health had been noticed several days prior to its death. The animal’s assigned keeper had reported its illness to the zoo’s medical team, which then moved it to conduct tests and a medical evaluation. Despite this, the wildebeest’s health worsened. 
 
 According to Agus, an autopsy showed an intestinal complication as the cause of death. 
 
 The issue raised speculation that poor maintenance and upkeep of the animals had contributed to Sunday’s death. But Agus denied allegations that officials had not been feeding the animal appropriately, citing the medical team’s autopsy results, which showed the wildebeest still had food in his stomach at the time of death. 
 
 He added that poor weather conditions may have been a contributing factor. 
 
 It was not the first time Surabaya Zoo officials blamed the weather as a cause of death of animals in its care. In October, an orangutan named Betty was found dead after suffering from pneumonia, an illness zoo officials blamed on the city’s heat. 
 
 Saturday’s death reduces the zoo’s wildebeest population to only one, a female. 
 
 The Taman Safari II zoo in Prigen, Pasuruan, East Java, donated the wildebeest to the Surabaya Zoo in April. 
 
 The death follows a string of animal deaths within the confines of the Surabaya Zoo, with 43 having died between July and September last year. 
 
 The zoo has been in the media spotlight since the mysterious deaths of a lion and a kangaroo a few years ago. 
 
 Surabaya Zoo has also been condemned for the death of a giraffe — found to have had 20 kilograms of plastic in its stomach — and for the death of a Sumatran tiger, which was found with a rotten digestive tract after being regularly fed meat laced with formaldehyde. 
 
 Many other animals at the zoo have also perished, allegedly from neglect, starvation, maltreatment and unnatural causes in recent years, while others are reportedly seen living in dirty, cramped cages suffering from illnesses. 
 
 This earned the zoo the nickname “zoo of death” in international media. 
 
 Animal rights activists have called for the zoo’s closure, but later reneged on the suggestion over concerns that the estimated 3,000 remaining animals would struggle to find new homes. ||||| Lion found hanging in cage at notorious Indonesian ‘death zoo’ 
 
 By Agence France-Presse 
 
 Thursday, January 9, 2014 7:43 EST 
 
 A young African lion has died after getting its head caught in cables in its cage at an Indonesian zoo notorious for hundreds of animal deaths in recent years, it was announced Thursday. 
 
 The 18-month-old lion named Michael was found early Tuesday at the zoo in Surabaya, in the east of the main island of Java, said zoo spokesman Agus Supangkat. 
 
 “The lion was found hanging from the roof of his cage. He was very young and got his head stuck in cables that keepers use to open and close the cage,” Supangkat told AFP. 
 
 Supangkat insisted that the death was an accident and not due to negligence. Police were investigating its death, he added. 
 
 The incident came just two days after a wildebeest was found dead in its cage at the zoo, which has been dubbed the “death zoo” because so many animals have died there prematurely in recent years due to neglect. 
 
 Among them have been endangered orangutans, a tiger whose food was laced with formaldehyde and a giraffe found dead with a beachball-sized lump of plastic in its stomach, after eating food wrappers thrown into its pen over the years. 
 
 The wildebeest died on Sunday evening of intestinal complications. 
 
 Supangkat insisted the wildebeest had been properly fed and said it became sick after days of intense rain and humidity. 
 
 The management of the zoo — Indonesia’s biggest — has been taken over by the Surabaya city administration, but the deaths have not stopped and animal welfare groups continue to call for its closure. 
 
 African lions are found in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies them as vulnerable.
– Lions are on the verge of extinction in West Africa, a stunning new survey has concluded, after years of harrowing treks in search of them. When researchers started their search in 2005, the lions, a distinct species from their east and south African brethren, were believed to inhabit 21 protected areas. But as the team searched those areas, they encountered "aggressive poachers, and, in some countries, rebel groups"—but almost no signs of lions, Scientific American reports. In the end, they concluded that lions still live in just four of the protected zones, and that there were likely only around 400 of them left, including just 250 adults. These lions are desperately spread out as well, with roughly one per 1,000 square kilometers, but there is evidence of successful breeding in all four areas. "We finally know where lions remain," the program's coordinator said, "and where we need to invest our efforts to save them." In other depressing big cat news: An 18-month-old lion was found hanging dead from the roof of his cage at the Surabaya City Zoo in Indonesia, officials announced today. The lion, named Michael, had gotten his head stuck in the steel cables used to open and close the cage, the AFP reports via Raw Story. The Surabaya zoo is notorious for its frequent animal deaths; the lion is the second in the past three days, the Jakarta Globe reports. Police stopped two men loading what they assumed was a human corpse into an SUV in Wenzhou, China yesterday, only to discover that the tarp-wrapped corpse actually belonged to a Siberian tiger, one of the most endangered species on Earth, the New York Times reports. The two men fled, but another man who was still inside the SUV was apprehended.