Huge population of endangered African lions has been spotted at a remote locate in Ethiopia, announced the Born Free USA and the Born Free Foundation. The new discovery has confirmed an old hypothesis which states that the big cats thrived there.

The lion species has been discovered in North West Ethiopia’s remote Alatash National Park, said renowned lion conservationist Hans Bauer. More than 50 big cats were found on the Ethiopia-Sudan border during an expedition, Bauer, conservationist working for Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, added. The lions were also discovered in a region known as Dinder National Park.

Adam Roberts, CEO of the Born Free USA and the Born Free Foundation, said the discovery is exciting. In most of the African continent, populations of lions have been declining, but the new find suggested that the species is still not endangered, and can be saved, he added.

“We need to do all we can to protect these animals and the ecosystem on which they depend, along with all the other remaining lions across Africa, so we can reverse the declines and secure their future”, Roberts continued.

A statement by the organization stated that many images of lion tracks have been captured by camera trap which suggested that dozens of big cats are roaming in Alatash region. Researchers have also spotted signs indicating that some lions are also living in Sudan’s Dinder National Park.

Before the new discovery, there were theories that Alatash has many lions, but no solid evidence was supporting the hypothesis. The new find has given a sigh of relief to lion conservationists who were worried as African lion populations have dropped by 75% since 1980. Now, they hope that efforts can be planned to save the lion.