By Elizabeth PennisiAfrica’s national parks are meant to protect lions, elephants, and other wildlife from human hunters. Pachyderms tend to play it safe, generally staying within park boundaries.
A new study suggests lions in West Africa are not so cautious. Instead, the big cats are just as likely to hang out in nearby hunting concessions, where trophy hunting is allowed.West African lions, which are smaller and genetically distinct from other lions, are critically endangered.
The biggest concentration left—about 350—is in a UNESCO heritage site that includes five national parks and 14 hunting concessions at the intersection of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Benin.To figure out where in this vast area the lions were spending most of their