The national animal of Singapore is the lion. This animal is a powerful and important symbol in Singapore representing courage, strength, and excellence. The name of Singapore itself is literally translated as “Lion City”, so the lion is not only an important modern symbol but is inextricably bound with the country’s history.
Lions, to almost all people on Earth, are an instantly recognizable symbol.
They are among the most powerful predators on the planet, and they have played a role in the history and culture of so many different countries—including Singapore.
Naturally, then, it makes sense that the country would adopt it officially as their national animal.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Singapore?
The national animal of Singapore is the lion.
Lions are all but universally recognized symbols, but we will get more into the exact symbolism of the animal in Singaporean culture shortly.
The national animal of Singapore is the lion in the sense of the big cat that is native to Africa and India—there are sometimes other things that are meant by the term lion.
These big cats are mostly found in Africa now, and live usually in large prides consisting of a few males, females and related cubs.
They tend to inhabit grassland, shrubland and most famously, savannah.
They tend to be active during the daytime and sleep at night, though this behavior can change depending on certain circumstances such as being persecuted.
In these cases, it will often adapt and begin hunting at night.
It is not unreasonable to suggest that the lion is one of the single most well recognized symbols of human culture.
In places where lions can be found, an neighboring regions, they almost always hold some kind of symbolic importance based on their size and the fact that they are so dangerous to humans.
Lions have been a point of fascination for people since at least the Roman period, when they were first kept in menageries.
In the modern taxonomical sense, lions were first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus.
Lion specimens were described and examined over the course of the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries and multiple subspecies were described being distinguished by size and color of skin and mane.
Many sister species existed in prehistoric times though of course none survive to us today.
They may exist today as fragmented populations compared to what they once were, but that has not stopped them from being enduring symbols in places including Singapore.
Why is the lion the national animal of Singapore?
The lion, as mentioned, is one of the most recognizable symbols in human history.
Most of the things that you will likely implicitly associate with lions are important to the symbolism of the lion in Singapore.
Courage, strength, excellence—all of these things are among the most important associations of the lion in Singaporean culture today.
As mentioned, the very name “Singapore” is an Anglicization of the native Malay name for the country which is Singapura, deriving from the Sanskrit word meaning “Lion City”.
In Hindu-Buddhist culture, lions were associated with power and protection, and so this may have been part of the reason that the name was chosen.
Importantly, lions do not and never have lived in Singapore.
Of course, again, by the time Singapore is founded, lions are already widely recognized symbols, so the powerful of Singapore would have appreciated the power of the lion symbol even though they never themselves dwelt in the country.
This just goes to show how inherent the value of the lion symbol is.
They were adopted by a culture which would never itself see lions except on long journeys to India or Africa.
But the lion is also a symbol of kindness and generosity in Singapore.
Will lions go extinct?
Lions are certainly far from completely safe from extinction.
Their range is vastly limited compared to what it used to be.
They are currently listed as vulnerable, and estimates suggest that if poaching continues at its present rate then lions may be extinct as early as 2050.
They are highly valuable to poachers for a variety of reasons, one of the most important being illegal tourist trophy hunting.
They are also hunted for their skins and other commodities.
At present, there are around 20,000 lions still remaining in the wild at least.
So, they can certainly bounce back if given adequate protection.
Are lions only found in Africa?
Almost all wild lions today are found in Africa.
There is a very small protected population in Sasan-Gir National Park in India, comprising around 350-400 individuals.
Other than this small group, all wild lions are to be found in Africa.
Given their historic range that covered Africa, India and even parts of Europe, it’s plain to see how far their numbers have been reduced over time.
There are, again, many reasons for this, and it’s very hard to see how they would ever return to their historic range.
But lions in Africa can be protected and in time they may return in larger numbers to India’s wilds.
So, though lions may never have actually existed in Singapore at all, they remain a vital national symbol both historically and in the modern day.
Lions are symbols the world over of many different things, though most importantly in Singapore they are symbols of courage and strength.
The Singaporean people today continue to appreciate the importance of these majestic animals in their national identity.