IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Cuzin, F. | |
| 4.6.1. the lion, _Panthera leo_ | |
| 2003 Full Book | |
If the data concerning the lion in the north of Morocco (in particular the Rif and the Middle Atlas) are relatively abundant (Cabrera 1932), the data concerning this species in the studied region are rare: - in the 16th century, L‚on l'Africain (1956) mentions the species in the High Atlas, on the northern slopes of the Ida Ou Tanane massif (Khemis Meskala region), and the Central High Atlas (Sghemt region) - locals claim that in 1930, lions climbed in summer up to around 3000m altitude in the Toubkal massif - a lion was shot near Taddert (northern slope of Tizi n'Tichka) in 1942 (J. In the Saharan region, the lion existed until 1935 in Hassi Aggou and Hassi Tighissit (region between Assa and Tan Tan), near water points (M. Bensalem and M. Ennah, pers. com.). At the beginning of the century, inhabitants of M'hamid reported the existence of lions near permanent water points on the northern slope of the Hamada, on the Algerian-Moroccan border. According to a local hunter, Monteil (1951) reported near Hassi Aggou in 1939 two animals called "guerzam", reported to the serval, devouring a mouflon. The name "guerzam", which is related to the Berber "wagerzam", is ambiguous: depending on the region, it designates the lion or the panther, whereas, according to M. Bensalem and M. Ennah (pers. com.), this name designates the lion in the Saharan dialect of Tekna. Furthermore, the observation of a serval devouring a mouflon (whereas this species is incapable of hunting such large prey, and has never been reported to be occasionally scavenger) is highly suspicious. Finally, the locality where these animals were observed has very little vegetation cover, which is a priori a very unfavorable environment for the serval. This observation is therefore most likely related to the lion, reported in the same area. Moreover, this species is universally known by the inhabitants of the study area, which suggests a very generalized distribution. |
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