Long celebrated as Lord of Beasts, lions became a symbol for human power and sovereignty.  Slightly smaller than their African cousins, Asiatic Lions have shaggier coats and longer tufts of hair on the elbows and the end of their tails.  They are highly social animals, even though males only associate with the pride when mating or on a large hunt.  Prides are smaller than their African counterparts, possibly because their prey is smaller than those in Africa, requiring fewer hunters to tackle them. This critically endangered subspecies of lion survives in one small, protected area of India.  Within a span of 200 years, the advent of sport hunting, destruction of habitat, poisoning by neighboring villagers, and drowning in open wells dug for irrigation has decimated the lion population to the point of almost complete annihilation.  With a current population of approximately 350, the conservation efforts to protect the Asiatic Lion are still precarious at best.