A lion cub at Kruger National Park on 15 February 2026. Picture: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images/Gallo Images Inside South Africa’s protected sanctuaries, a more immediate predator has emerged: the bushmeat trade and skyrocketing demand for lion body parts. Today, the lion occupies a mere 6% of Africa.
This, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. With fewer than 25 000 adults remaining across the continent, the species is no longer just vulnerable but in crisis. In Northern Kruger, the numbers are devastating.
Recent surveys reveal a staggering 63% decline in the lion population over the last 18 years. The wild is becoming emptier, and the reasons are as grizzly as they are intentional. Over the past decade, reports of targeted poaching of lions for their body parts have become more frequent in parts of Africa.
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The year 2025 was a calendar of carnage for the Kruger National Park. In September alone, poachers poisoned three males; two were discovered as hollowed-out versions of themselves, their heads and paws hacked away. This followed a violent June where attackers slaughtered a male and a pregnant lioness.
In February, a lioness was found in a snare, her tail, skull, and stomach missing. In 2024,officials confirmed seven major incidents resulting in 10 deaths, with half of the victims mutilated for their parts. These are the results of a growing artisanal trade, according to studies.
A 2024 Panthera survey found that 79% of trade markets now sell lion products. Experts estimate that up to 169 lions are slaughtered annually just to feed this rising demand for parts.
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