Central African Republic - August 24, 2025 Bamingui-Bangoran National Park – For decades, lions in north-eastern Central African Republic were on the brink, their numbers decimated by poaching, persecution, and conflict. Since 2019, monitoring by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) had recorded only males, raising fears that breeding females—and with them, population recovery—had vanished. That fear has now turned to hope. WCS has captured photographic and video evidence of a lioness with three cubs in Bamingui-Bangoran National Park, confirming that lions are beginning to reclaim this critical landscape. “This is the payoff of years of relentless protection and patience,” said Armand Luh Mfone, WCS’s Director of Programs for CAR. “The CAR government, WCS and partners have worked hard to secure this landscape against poaching and conflict. To see not just a lioness, but a mother raising cubs, gives hope that the ecosystem is healing.” The cubs, estimated at four months old, were first photographed in April. Teams used satellite imagery, field knowledge, and an understanding of lion behavior to strategically place infra-red cameras, avoiding den sites to prevent disturbing the cubs. John Guernier, WCS’s Director of Bamingui-Bangoran National Park, said: “We set cameras on roads and trails leading to these spots; we avoided the possible den-sites themselves so we didn’t disturb the cubs, and we just had to hope that she would lead cubs past our cameras. After weeks of waiting, our plan finally paid off.” The discovery marks a milestone for a population estimated at only a few dozen individuals. Intensive patrols and snare surveys are now underway to protect the cubs during their vulnerable first year. Luke Hunter, Executive Director of WCS’s Big Cats Program, said: “Lions have been hammered for years in northern CAR, but the three cubs show what’s possible when habitats remain intact and conservation is persistent. Where there is one lioness, there are almost certain to be more; and now that we know there is at least one litter, I’m sure that others will follow.”