The Lions of Europe?

"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood."

- Daniel Burnham

I read a great article today on the plight of the Asian lion, the rarer, lesser-known subspecies cousin of Africa's famous King of the Beasts.  The Sparknotes version?  Asia's lions, once widespread, are now confined to a single small population in India, and their future looks bleak.  The most recent threat is the Canine Distemper Virus which, despite the name, is quite deadly to cats as well.

Europe offers last line of defence for Asiatic lion

There are close to 150 captive Asiatic lions in Europe (Keystone)

The article highlights the role that zoos (European ones, mind you - there are no Asian lions in the United States) can play in saving the big cats.  The conversation highlights the possibility of European zoos and Indian forestry agencies exchanging animals, swapping genes and possibly establishing a second wild population in India as a back-up in case the imperiled Gir Forest population succombs to extinction.

It's a great idea, but the article title got my wheels turning a little...

What about a second population... in Europe?

You see, Panthera leo persica is only found in India NOW... but historically, it ranged  through the Middle East and into Europe.  All those lions in Greek myths and fables?  Those were Asian lions.  The lions in the Bible?  Also Asians.  What if room could be found to re-establish a population of Asian lions in the western extremes of their range, such as in a corner of Greece, or Turkey?

It sounds crazy, but if you think about it, the continental United States is home to two species of bears, two species of wolves, pumas, and (occasionally) jaguars.  Is there any quiet corner of the European Union where a (heavily managed, but still wild) population of Asian lions can be established?  Then, hopefully, more small populations could be established in between, through the Middle East, Iran (already home to Asia's last cheetahs), and into India, with animals being periodically moved between the populations to freshen the gene pools.

It's an absurdly complicated dream, one which would require a lot of land, a lot of money, a lot of management, and the cooperation of several governments, some of which are quite hostile to one another.  Still, if it could be accomplished, it would be a breathtaking conservation acheivement.  A habitat that could support lions across southern Europe and western Asia would also support their prey (gazelles, deer, wild boar), their scavengers and competitors (golden jackals, striped hyenas), and a host of other species.  Imagine a scaled-down Serengeti in a part of the world where you'd never expect it, or tourists at the Acropolis hearing very distant roars?

It's a dream, of course.  But with dreams, sometimes it's best to go big or go home.