Barbary Lion
The Barbary lion, once native to North Africa, is a regal and now-extinct-in-the-wild subspecies of lion. These lions were known for their impressive size and thick manes that extended down to their shoulders, offering an aura of grandeur. Historically, they roamed the forests and mountains of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, but habitat loss and hunting led to their extinction in the wild by the mid-20th century.
Barbary lions were symbols of power and strength, often kept by Roman emperors and Moroccan royalty. Today, they survive only in captivity, with conservationists working to preserve their genetic lineage through breeding programs. Efforts to study and protect these lions aim to raise awareness about the importance of saving other endangered big cat species from a similar fate.