Challenge: Lion Wank

Witha PoD of 1900, how can we have the African Lion keep as much of its range, the Barbary Lion avoid its extinction in the wild (with thousands of wild specimen), the Asiatic Lion widespread in parts of India/Iran and even reintroduced to the Balkans and Arabia (numbering in the thousands in both), and all three being as popular in culture as possible?

Also, making them invasive species in the Amazon is another bonus.
 
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Not going to happen. Lions are a grassland/savanna species, not a jungle one. You could get tigers invasive in the Amazon, and lions invasive in the Pampas of Argentina or in most of North America, but not lions in the Amazon.
Lions historically lived throughout most of India and Africa. They can survive in rainforests (along with deserts, and mountains) just not as well as Savanahs.
 
You need a whole change in attitudes toward trophy hunting and a desire to preserve wildlife, particularly mega-fauna. Not sure what kind of POD would cause this but basically have wildlife conservation efforts start much earlier. Maybe something that is tourism driven.
 
Lions historically lived throughout most of India and Africa. They can survive in rainforests (along with deserts, and mountains) just not as well as Savanahs.
Do you think India is just a giant rainforest?
India had lions In its grasslands and sparsely wooded areas and tigers in the jungles and more densely wooded areas.
Lions would fair incredibly poorly in the Amazon.
 
Do you think India is just a giant rainforest?
India had lions In its grasslands and sparsely wooded areas and tigers in the jungles and more densely wooded areas.
Lions would fair incredibly poorly in the Amazon.

http://brilliantmaps.com/distribution-of-lions/

So we can see they avoid India's wettest areas, but still occupy forested tropical areas with vast seasonal wetlands. Probably not a match for the Amazon though, this would show. Probably better in the Gran Chaco for an area close to the Amazon with many of the same wildlife.
 
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I am aware of their former range, I am in fact seemingly more knowledgeable on the animals than you are.
Do you have any understanding of the terms niche, ecosystem and competition In how they relate to biology and more specifically how they relate to the massive overlap of tigers and lions in their former ranges in india? If the answer is no then I suggest looking into it.
If the answer is yes than perhaps you are aware of something I'm not.
Ask your self the following, why are tigers much more prevalent in modern India than lions?
I'll save you the head scratcher, it's because it's easier to turn sparsely wooded areas and grasslands into farms than it is to turn densely wooded areas and jungle into farms.
 
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