Sopa 

(traditional Maasai greeting) 

 

This year began with a flurry of activity and excitement in and out of the field. In just four months, we have already experienced both incredible highs and some devastating lows. We wanted to share some of these moments with you because you are an important part of our community and your support allows us to continue making a difference for lions and people in all of the areas where we operate. 

 

Since January, we have been hard at work trying to form important collaborations and partnerships within Kenya and across the border in Tanzania to enhance lion conservation efforts. We kicked off these efforts by co-facilitating the first ever "Borderland Conservation Initiative" lion meeting at the end of January. To learn more about this and our other exciting activities that were carried out this year, please take a moment to read through the updates below. 

 

Looking ahead to the rest of the year, we plan to launch the Lion Guardians training program mid-year. The goal of the program is to help amplify the reach and impact of our model across African rangelands and also across different cultures and species. In May, we will be spending time in northern Tanzania at potential expansion sites while also helping to implement specific lion monitoring protocols (e.g., spoor routes) at our Tarangire and Ngorongoro expansion sites. 

 

We hope that you find this newsletter interesting and informative and will share it with friends and family so we can continue to expand our community. 

 

It takes a community to conserve lions and preserve cultures, we are grateful that you are a part of ours. 

 

Ashe Oleng 

(Thank you in Maasai) 

In April the Amboseli ecosystem suffered a devastating loss - four year-old male lion, Len'gan'ga, was speared to death in Mbirikani Group Ranch. The news filtered to us at the Lion Guardians Training Center after Mokoi, the Lion Guardian responsible for that area, called the report in. We responded immediately to verify the killing, along with our collaborators the Big Life Foundation. Apparently, Len'gan'ga and a female companion had been found feasting on the carcass of a cow by the young herders and warriors who had gone out to search for the lost cow. Len'gan'ga's speared body was found approximately 2kms from the carcass, indicating that the herders and warriors had given chase as Len'gan'ga fled for his life. So as much as we had hoped that the news was false, once the Lion Guardians team arrived at the carcass, examined the whisker spots and ear notches, it was confirmed to be Len'gan'ga.

 

We have just announced that the Annual Lion Guardians Games will be held on the 18^th of July. Lelian and all his fellow Lion Guardians in Kenya and Tanzania, are extremely excited and are now working even harder as the date for the Games fast approaches.

 

In 2009, when lion monitoring first expanded outside of Mbirikani Group Ranch we expected to find many new individual lions in the areas we were expanding to. When the first Olgulului Group Ranch Lion Guardian volunteer made a report from the far west side of the Amboseli ecosystem, we were excited to begin our work photographing and documenting the new lions inhabiting these areas. After hours of tracking, we were able to obtain a visual, and were shocked to find the 'new' lions were actually two lionesses, Nempakai and Nolakunte, that we had been monitoring since 2007 on Mbirikani Group Ranch.

 

Many of us assume that all lions have similar sized home ranges no matter where they live. The truth of the matter is actually quite different for lions that live in non-protected areas. During her research for her PhD, Stephanie found that the home range for males and females living in Lion Guardians' areas of operations was on average over 20 - 40 times greater than those who lived in nearby protected areas.

 

Table showing home ranges of lions in non-protected and protected areas by gender

 

This year has also been very busy on the news and publications front. Both of our directors have had articles published in leading conservation journals, and the Lion Guardians program was covered in regional (African) media as well as highlighted by Upworthy, an international blog that only shares content that is "awesome and meaningful". Below is a list of links to these articles and media reports.

 

Publications

January: Borderland Conservation Initiative: Inaugural lion meeting

March: Spring Fundraisers in the U.S.

July: Annual Lion Guardians Games

  

  

  

  

  

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