by Grania

Lions were wiped out in Rwanda during the civil war in 1994, and tragically the last ones in the park were poisoned by refugees displaced by the violence who were occupying part of the park.

More than two decades later, seven lions (five female and two male) are being translocated from South Africa to Akagera National Park in Rwanda. They will be in quarantine for about two weeks when they will be released into the park.

These conservation programs are vital. As The Guardian notes:

The lion remains listed as vulnerable at a global level, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature said last month in an update to its Red List of threatened species. The IUCN warns that trade in bones and other body parts for traditional medicine in Africa and Asia is a new and emerging threat to the species.

Watch the AFP news video on it here