Africa's lions under threat

But critics say lion hunting benefits African countries, generating $200 million annually.

By Erin Conway-Smith

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Ma di Tau is a lioness who battles dangerous African buffalo, hungry crocodiles, a wildfire and marauding lions from a rival pride to save her cubs — all in all, a harrowing existence in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. But while Ma di Tau and her brood face many natural threats, the biggest threat to African lions is humans. Some experts say lions could be extinct in the wild in as few as 10 years...[continued]