The Barbary lion roamed the Atlas Mountains of North Africa for about 100,000 years until its extinction in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Its size, fierceness, and large dark colored mane made it a thing of legend. The Barbary lion can be found in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Paintings of these lions battling gladiators can be found throughout the Roman Empire. In fact, it is thought that thousands of these lions were captured and killed during the reign of Julius Caesar alone. The invention of the firearm led to planned hunts and bounties being put on Barbary lions. This intense effort to eliminate these predators from the Atlas Mountains caused a drastic decline in their numbers. By the 1830’s these lions were eliminated from the coast of the Mediterranean. The Turkish administration hired hunters for the eradication of the lions. The French took over Algeria in 1830. From 1873 - 1883, they hired Jules Gerard to eradicate the Barbary lions. His efforts killed 203 lions. Similar efforts were taken in other countries. In 1884, the cedar forests of Chelia contained no more Atlas lions. By 1890, there were no lions left in Tunisia. In 1925, a pilot, Marcelin Flandrin, took the last photograph of a wild, living Barabray lion. In 1942, the last recorded shooting of a wild Barbary lion took place in 1942 near Tizi n'Tichka in Morocco. In 1956, the last sighting of a wild Barbary lion took place in Beni Ourtilane District. The Barbary lion might have lasted into the 1960’s, but its exact extinction date is unknown. Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The Barbary lion could be brought back from the many preserved skins in various collections around the world. The International Barbary Lion Project is comparing the genes of preserved specimens to current zoo animals in an attempt to selectively breed the Atlas lion back into existence. For some extinct species like the Barbary lion, Atlas bear, and Bubal hartebeest it is too late, but efforts are being made to keep other species living in the Atlas Mountains from that same fate. Morocco has 11 national parks and many other designated areas. In 1991 Souss Massa National Park was created to protect the ecosystem and organisms of the Atlas Mountains including the endangered Northern Bald Ibis, Geronticus eremita. There have been efforts to protect other endangered species like the Barbary macaque, Barbary ground squirrel, Barbary sheep, the African crimson-winged finch, the North African elephant shrew, North African hedgehog, and Cuvier’s gazelle. If the Barbary lion was brought to life, could it ever be reintroduced to its native homeland in the Atlas Mountains?