No. There were lions in North Africa, Anatolia and the Holy Land when Crusaders went there, though. The answer is simple: Because it has nothing to do with whether or not the animal existed! [/font] I am seeing this question a lot! I strongly suspect that people were involved in that extinction too. The only ones in Europe are in zoos. There has always been a great deal of contact between Southern Europe and North Africa. Archived. 81% Upvoted. It’s like asking: Why do mermaids, unicorns, Pegasus, or Dragons appear in old Heraldry despite them not existing at all? Mountain Lions (Cougars) are native to America (north and south). They then spread throughout most of Africa and from there into southeastern Europe, the Middle East, the South Caucasus, southern Russia, … There is very little infrastructure on these small Greek islands to cope with the thousands of people arriving, leaving overburdened authorities struggling to provide vital assistance. Instead, the US and Canada were likely just as monkey-ridden as every other place on the planet. > and no lions in Asia? Just because lions don't live in Europe in the wild doesn't mean people in Europe didn't know about lions. When they grow older, sea lions become prone to pneumonia, epilepsy, and cancer. How come the lion has become a symbol for so many european countries/dynasties, even though there are no lions in Europe? lions inhabited Europe a few centuries ago but were hunted down to extinction. Lions live in Africa which is actually pretty close to Europe. Close. There were also lion populations in Greece and other parts of southern Europe. Lyle had strong religious beliefs, which is why the tin’s famous logo depicts strongman Samson’s ‘lion and bees’ from the Bible’s Old Testament, registered as Lyle’s trademark. The findings - published this week in science journal Molecular Ecology - suggests the lions existed during the Pleistocene era which occurred in Europe between 1.8 million and 10,000 years ago. Believed to be a descendant of the huge Cave Lion of prehistoric times, the European Lion was the last lion subspecies to be wiped out of Europe. Why are there no wild lions or tigers in the UK? In fact, back then, North America wasn’t the monkey-less landscape that it is today. So why would a ruling entity put something on an official symbol if no one knows what it is? The Truth About Lions The world’s foremost lion expert reveals the brutal, secret world of the king of beasts Biologists long believed that lions band together to hunt prey. No, unless you count the Caucasus as Europe, as I mentioned. > Why is there no tigers in africa. Edit: as regards the Near-Eastern aspect, the British Museum has a wonderful collection of Assyrian reliefs that depict lions, including lion hunts, which you might find interesting to examine and compare to later European depictions of lions. 5 years ago. Take this passage from Herodotus describing the Persian descent towards Thermopylae and the three hundred there in 480 BC.