He was the last Barbary lion in the wild: the character of Scar was also based on the species

A hundred years ago, the last photograph was taken of the last member of their species. This is what the now extinct Barbary lion once looked like.

The photograph below was taken in 1925. A subspecies long extinct in the wild, the Barbary also known as the Nubian or Atlas lion, is probably the last of their species, in the wild. The photograph was taken by a French photographer, Marcelin Flandrin, while travelling between Casablanca and Dakar.

Barbary lions may have survived as circus animals

The reason for the overhunt in the 20th century. In the first decades of the 20th century, the number of Barbary lions in Africa was drastically reduced. For a long time it was believed that the last wild individual was shot by a hunter in 1922. After that, there was a period of time when there were still lions in zoos. Also, there was a period when the subspecies was considered extinct. Interestingly, they were preserved by the circus world. Following the confiscation of some private zoos, Barbary lions have been found in circus breeding facilities around the world over the last 30 years. But it was long in doubt whether that they were pure-blooded representatives of their own species.

Unlike most African lions, the Barbary lion was a mountain predator and favoured the woodlands. The two other predators found in the Atlas Mountains, the Barbary leopard and the Atlas bear, are now extinct in the wild, with no known individuals alive.

However, dozens of captive individuals are believed to be Barbary lions. At Port Lympyne Safari Park, for example, 12 are believed to be among the last of their species. Their ancestor having been a favourite of the King of Morocco. Eleven of these presumed specimens are still living in the Addis Ababa Zoo, descendants of the last Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie I’s animals.

The most distinctive feature of the Barbary lion is the thick, black mane of the males. However, this black mane is also common in captive lions that are kept in areas like the Atlas Mountains or in colder climates. For this reason, the black mane alone is not sufficient to determine whether a lion is a Barbary lion.

The Barbary lion could be revived with the last specimens

WildLink International, in partnership with the University of Oxford, launched the International Barbary Lion Project a few years ago. They are using the latest techniques to identify the DNA of the Barbary lion. Although the Barbary lion is officially extinct, WildLink International has identified a handful of lions in captivity around the world that may be descended from the last known Barbary lions. Their research will determine which specimens have the greatest amount of Barbary heritage. The most promising candidates will be included in a breeding programme to re-breed the sub-species. The final phase of the project will be the release of the lions back into the national park in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.