Big Cats as National Animals
11 countries have a big cat as their national animal: the lion in 6 (Belgium, Czechia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco and the United Kingdom); the tiger in 4 (Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and South Korea); and the snow leopard in Kazakhstan. Each country links to a page with the story behind the choice and the sources.
Lion 6 countries
Belgium: LionPanthera leo
The lion is linked to Belgium because Article 193 of the Belgian Constitution names the Lion of Belgium as the arms of the kingdom. The lion itself comes from the coat of arms of the old Duchy of Brabant, and the arms of the kingdom were set out in a Royal Decree of 17 March 1837.
Czechia: LionPanthera leo
The lion is linked to Czechia because a silver double-tailed lion has been the emblem of Bohemia since the 13th century and stands on both state coats of arms described in the Act on State Symbols of 17 December 1992. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists the double-tailed lion as the national symbol.
Ethiopia: LionPanthera leo
No law naming a national animal has been found, but the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority describes the African lion as a national symbol of Ethiopia and an important element of national identity, and the CIA World Factbook lists the Abyssinian lion as the country's traditional national symbol. The lion runs through Ethiopian culture and history, appearing on statues, coins, in many Ethiopian Orthodox churches and in historical manuscripts, and during the imperial period the national flag featured the crowned Lion of Judah.
Kenya: LionPanthera leo
Kenya's Constitution names the coat of arms as a national symbol, and the emblem shows two lions. Article 9 does not separately designate a national animal; we have not verified a separate legal designation for the lion.
Morocco: Barbary lion (Atlas lion)Panthera leo leo
No law naming the Barbary lion as a national animal has been found, but it is Morocco's clearest animal emblem: two lions have supported the shield of the royal coat of arms since it was first adopted on 14 August 1957. Moroccans also call their national football team the Atlas Lions, and the lion is tied to royal history, since sultans and later kings kept lions in palace menageries, the ancestors of the lions at Rabat Zoo today.
United Kingdom: LionPanthera leo
The United Kingdom has never named an official national animal, but the lion is the one most often linked with it because it is the real animal at the heart of the Royal Arms, where the three lions of England fill two quarters of the shield and an English lion supports it (the Scottish unicorn on the other side is mythical). The lion has been an emblem of English kings for about eight hundred years, and Richard I's three lions have been England's arms ever since; they also live on in the Three Lions badge of England's football team.
Tiger 4 countries
Bangladesh: Bengal tigerPanthera tigris tigris
Government ministers regularly call the Bengal tiger the national animal, and Banglapedia, the national encyclopedia, describes it the same way, although no law or decree that first named it has been found. The tiger stands for strength and courage, as the national cricket team's nickname, the Tigers, shows, and it is closely tied to the Sundarbans, a mangrove forest of great importance to Bangladesh whose Bangladesh part is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
India: Bengal tigerPanthera tigris
In 1972 the Indian Board for Wildlife chose the tiger to replace the lion, at a time when tiger numbers had fallen sharply because of hunting and the loss of forests, and Project Tiger followed in April 1973. By making the tiger a national symbol at the moment it was most in trouble, India tied its identity to the survival of an animal that has lived alongside people there for thousands of years.
Malaysia: Malayan tigerPanthera tigris jacksoni
Malaysia has no separate law that names a national animal, but the Malayan tiger has a place of honor on the coat of arms adopted in 1963, and tigers on the arms go back to the heraldry of the Federated Malay States in the late 19th century. In Malay tradition the tigers stand for strength and courage, and the national football team is even known as Harimau Malaya, which means Malayan tiger.
South Korea: Siberian tigerPanthera tigris
South Korea has no law naming a national animal, but the tiger, called horangi in Korean, is the animal most closely tied to the country's identity, and the tigers of the Korean Peninsula belonged to the Siberian tiger population, also called the Korean tiger. It appears in Dangun, Korea's founding myth, and in folk art as a guardian against bad luck, and tigers were the mascots of both the 1988 Seoul and 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
Snow leopard 1 country
Kazakhstan: Snow leopardPanthera uncia
The snow leopard is described as an official symbol of Kazakhstan in the country's national snow leopard plan, which credits the idea to President Nursultan Nazarbayev. It also appears on the emblem of Almaty, but no law naming a national animal has been found.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries have the lion as their national animal?
The lion is the national animal of 6 countries: Belgium, Czechia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco and the United Kingdom.
Which countries have the tiger as their national animal?
The tiger is the national animal of 4 countries: Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and South Korea.
Which countries have the snow leopard as their national animal?
The snow leopard is the national animal of Kazakhstan.
How this list is made
This list is drawn from our national animal pages. A country is included when its national animal, or its national bird where a reliable source confirms one, belongs to this group.
- Officially designated Named by a law, decree or government act.
- National symbol Widely recognized through a coat of arms, flag, currency, public vote or long tradition, without a specific law.