The US has placed a breed of lion found in India and Africa in the endangered species list in a bid to curb the "dramatic" decline of their population in the last two decades. The US Fish and Wildlife Service said it will list Panthera leo (a subspecies of lion) located in India and western and central Africa as endangered, and Panthera leo melanochaita, located in eastern and southern Africa, will be listed as threatened.
"The lion is one of the planet's most beloved species and an irreplaceable part of our shared global heritage," said Dan Ashe, Director of US Fish and Wildlife Service.