An African lion (Panthera leo) steps out of a rocky den at Chiang Mai zoo in Thailand.

I was digging around in some of my older photography folders and was surprised I never showed off this handsome fellow striking a regal pose. Better late than never!

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Lion populations across their range have seen a dramatic population decline of up to 50% in the past two decades due to habitat loss, disease, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching. Shockingly, more lions are being killed for their bones for use in dubious traditional Chinese medicine and tonics as a substitute for the tiger, whose populations have been wiped out across Asia. It is possible that this precipitous decline in the population of this iconic species may accelerate with human expansion into wild places and an increasing appetite in Asia for wildlife.