Lions, much like humans, form strong bonds with their relatives, facing the challenges of the wild together and supporting each other in time of need. There’s a Swahili saying, “Damu ni nzito kuliko maji,” which translates to “blood is thicker than water.” This proverb captures the innate connection and affinity often felt towards family members,…
Our Guardians and lion monitoring team have been particularly busy on the ground this year, mitigating conflict and keeping lions and communities safe. Here’s some recent news from the field from our community manager Eric Ole Kesoi. Lorpait, a male lion born near the western side of Amboseli National Park, had an unusual early life.…
In the following dispatch, our program manager Luke Maamai explains how a collaborative project between Lion Guardians and Born Free Foundation will help local lions, livestock, and community members. Much of the decline in the lion population in Africa results from the illegal killing of lions using spears, snares and poisoning in revenge for livestock depredation.…
Like some other smart and social species, lions often learn from each other. This so-called “social learning” is generally advantageous for animals, since it enables helpful behaviors to spread through groups; dolphins learn from their mothers to use sponges as tools, monkeys learn to wash sweet potatoes from other members of their troop, and fish…
via GIPHY As the year winds down, we would like to take this opportunity to reach out and ask for your continued support. With a growing lion population, we are adding more and more Guardians to our community. Our goal for 2017 is to have all our Guardians salaries fully sponsored. We are 51% of…
Martii was born in early February 2009 on Eselenkei. He is the only surviving son of the then reigning heart throb Lomunyak. His mother was a lovely light colored lioness named Nasieku, she who comes out first. Martii only recently returned to our area of operation after a five year hiatus. He had spent the…
The call came in late in the afternoon. Guardian Kapande reported that he was following the tracks of one male, two females and two small cubs. He was sure the large male was Meliyo. A surge of excitement crept through Lion Guardians headquarters – Meliyo had not been seen since Mbalueni was poisoned. Could those…
A harsh spotlight has been cast on the plight of the lion this year. The illegal hunt of Cecil in Zimbabwe, the most recent poisoning of three lions belonging to the Marsh Pride in the Masai Mara, Kenya and our very own loss of Mbalueni have raised global awareness of the decline in lion populations…
Lions are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. Today there are only an estimated 20,000 remaining. At Lion Guardians, we have been able to witness some amazing trends, however. In the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem where we operate, we have documented a tripling in the lion population since 2009. Help us to continue making a difference in reversing…
In today’s blog, Lion Guardians Cofounder and Director of Science, Dr. Stephanie Dolrenry shares with us the power of knowledge and her experience coaching rangers in @AkageraPark, Rwanda with community manager Eric Ole Kesoi and tenured Guardian Kisimir Olamayiani. When we first arrived in Akagera, we were excited to get going but before we started our…