Icons of the wild — lions, tigers and other big cats — are fading from the world's wild places, warn conservation experts worldwide. Their plight was overshadowed by last week's release and subsequent killing of captive big cats, including Bengal tigers and African lions, from a private preserve in Zanesville, Ohio. Kin living in the wild have dramatically worsened: Wild lions, tigers and other big cats face extinction within two decades, say conservation scientists, who are urging increased efforts to save them.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/story/2011-10-28/lions-tigers-extinction/50958540/1