It is all very well for Europeans to expect African farmers and villagers to show the same enthusiasm for lion protection schemes as 'wildlife tourists' and armchair conservationists who deplore the killing or even the fencing-in of these noble and celebrated creatures. But it is estimated that the average farm in Tanzania loses the equivalent of £600 a year in livestock due to lions straying outside the boundaries of the national parks where they are protected and growing in numbers. When out hunting, lions do not respect the difference between another wild animal and a domesticated beast that is owned by someone and often of priceless value to that person. Most European countries would not tolerate the presence of huge, wild, man-eating cats roaming wild in the countryside, decimating their profits and killing their children. They have proved this by hunting many native species perceived as dangerous – wolves, bears, boar – to extinction, or by destroying their habitats. Why should Africa be different?