Lion Guardians work

Saving Poisoned Lions: Noldupai & Loteletha

In recent years, a historical threat to wildlife has resurfaced in the Amboseli ecosystem of southern Kenya. We have noted that there has been a significant uptick in the use of poisons for lacing prey carcasses to kill carnivores. Traditionally, Maasai do not use poison as it is seen as cowardly. But over time, culture…

Community-owned Conservation: A Story of Sustainability

From the beginning, the Lion Guardians’ founders harbored a vision: that the organization would be fully-owned and entirely run by the community. At the core of this vision lies the unwavering belief that the long-term conservation of lions and other carnivores can only be achieved when the people who live alongside the wildlife and on…

Celebrating the life of Loonkiito

Celebrating the Life of Loonkiito   “Legends are not born, they are created” – Alexander D. Jones   Nearly two decades ago, in 2004, two male lion cubs were born in the heart of Kenya’s Amboseli ecosystem. As the little cubs matured into sub-adults, they embarked on a journey of exploration, venturing beyond the familiarity…

A WIN for Conservation Technology

In our latest blog, Lion Guardians’ Research Scientist Nadia de Souza announces some exciting news for our program. We are thrilled to be one of the grantees of EarthRanger’s inaugural Conservation Technology Award!  Technology has always been central to our work, as the Lion Guardians model is based on blending traditional ecological knowledge – a…

Rising to the Occasion

Over the course of last year, communities in our operating area experienced more than 220 attacks on their livestock – that’s more than twice as many as we recorded in 2019. This increase is due to lots of factors: growing lion and human populations, an increasingly unpredictable climate, shifting cultural values leading to less responsible…

Guardians: Protectors of Livestock and Livelihoods

Livestock are paramount in Maasailand – they are a form of wealth, and are the lifeblood and livelihood of communities. Guardians help protect local livestock not only because keeping them safe limits the opportunities for lions to prey on them, but also because these efforts show communities that we are there for them. Guardians such…

A Road Map for the Future

At Lion Guardians, we pride ourselves on being creative, reacting to challenges, and taking risks. But we also know that in order to be effective, these actions need to be in the context of a larger strategy – one that combines lessons from the past with current information to chart a course for the future.…

Introducing Kikardi

Introducing Kikardi Jackson Kikardi – a new addition to our senior management team – joined Lion Guardians last year, but we have been so busy in the field that we are only now sharing our excitement about him coming on board! Before joining us, Kikardi was working as a field operations manager for Soils for…