[monkey]

Estimates for lion population vary a lot. My 21,000 number was a zoo estimate (from the National Zoo), which tend towards the lower boundary.

Any numbers on the total number in zoos in the U.S.?

Here is an excerpt from the North Carolina Zoo (http://www.nczoo.org/press_release/Endangered.htm):

Currently, 58 pedigreed African lions are maintained in 18 institutions in North America. An additional 30 institutions participate in the SSP by holding non-pedigreed lions and supporting SSP research and conservation projects. Current projects investigate genetic, reproductive and health issues to assist lions in captivity, as well as in the wild.

That doesn't give an exact number, but just based on the number of zoos and related facilities, it should be obvious that there are more lions in the wild. (The NC Zoo estimates only 10,000 African lions).

[TomB]

Thanks for doing my surfing for me.;-)

So, in review, is there ANYTHING in the original post that isn't wrong?