Amboseli ecosystem

Selenkay’s pride behaving well

Selenkay’s pride which is now composed of ten lions is well known for being a livestock killing group. This is because they have killed livestock in almost every corner of their territory and have been hunted countless times in retaliation. Fortunately, we have succeeded in stopping all lion hunting party’s intent on killing them except…

Peace has returned to Amboseli

With negotiations underway between the Maasai and KWS, Amboseli has reverted back to its normal calm. Peace and order has returned to the Amboseli ecosystem after a series of meetings held between the communities surrounding Amboseli National Park and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).  The meetings were attended by thousands of community members as well as by top government…

Mystery animal

It was late in the evening in our camp in Selenkei when we decided to respond to a Lion Guardian report. Several exciting things happened within a short span of time. First we found a herd of about 30 elephants which in itself is something unusual. The elephants were clearly uneasy with us being near, probably as…

Lioness killed inside Amboseli Park

The on-going human-wildlife conflict in Amboseli moved a notch higher yesterday with a complete show of bravado never seen in the recent past. Monday in the middle of the night a lioness, Amyjane, had jumped into a boma adjacent to the park, killed a donkey and cow, and was speared in the front left leg. The morans responsible for the spearing…

Taking stock of the killing spree

The killing spree in Amboseli necessitated by political tensions between Kenya Wildlife Service and political leaders had a devastating effect to both wildlife and the community.  Community leaders met and took stock of the killings within all of the Group Ranches. The results were shocking, but would have been worse were it not for the…

Conflict and politics in Amboseli

Human-wildlife conflict in any pastoralist environment is inevitable and has existed since time immemorial therefore Amboseli ecosystem is no exception. The negotiations leading to the creation of the Amboseli National Park in the early 1970’s were not smooth and due to the political tensions and resulting hunting, the rhino population was decimated. In the early 1990’s, populations…

Third Annual Lion Guardian Games!

The third annual Lion Guardian Games were held on the expansive plains of Oldoinyo-Wuas among the foothills of the Chyulu range. Lion Guardians were looking forward to this day with great anticipation and excitement and they were not disappointed. True to its nature, the games lived up to their usual competitive billing. Drawn from all corners of…

Proud of Birdie’s pride

Birdie Naape has been known by the Lion Guardians since 2004. Her Maasai name ‘Naape’ was given to her by the Lion Guardians monitoring her because she moves large distances on regular occasions across her home range. When Birdie and her daughters Nempirbil and Nanyorri gave birth to a combined total of 9 cubs, we…