By James Silankei, Lion Guardians Field Biologist, who was born and raised in Amboseli. For the Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania, growing up is not just about age, it’s a sacred journey marked by courage, tradition, and community. Each stage of life comes with responsibilities and rituals that prepare boys to become warriors, and…
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,…
Livestock herding to the Indigenous Maasai of East Africa is an ancestral tradition that dates back centuries. For the Maasai, livestock herding is a vital practice that protects livestock from predator attacks. Boys are traditionally trained from a young age, ensuring they are fully equipped with the skills and knowledge to become skilled herders by…
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…
At Lion Guardians, it is our objective to share our knowledge and experiences with other conservation organizations and partners. We believe through openly sharing our successes, our challenges, our data, and our tools, that we can further conservation impact more effectively across the globe. We refer to this as ‘open-source conservation.’ We strongly believe that…
Recently, our Assistant Manager Jackson Kikardi checked in with a local Lion Guardians-supported schoolteacher to see how things were going. Here, like in many parts of the world, local schools have been closed for the last several months to protect communities during the pandemic. During this closure, many Maasai schoolkids remained at home and turned…
Mock hunts are an integral part of our conflict mitigation work. We are currently raising funds to triple the size of our conflict response team; to support this work, please visit our campaign page. Many of our best conservation tools come from communities themselves, and “mock hunts” are no exception. In the past, when a…
Our latest research has been published! Here, our Office and Data Manager John Merishi, who is Maasai, shares his perspective on the research and why it is so important. Livestock are central to Maasai culture and life. Pastoralists consider livestock to be their ‘bank account’, since they sell cows and goats to pay bills such…
Recently, Olubi got some much-deserved recognition from a community in the form of a new name. Here, Lion Guardians’ Assistant Manager, Jackson Kikardi, describes what happened. Two of our Guardians, Olubi and Tonkei, woke up early one morning and began their daily work of tracking lions and helping their community coexist peacefully with predators.…
Last year, the Lion Guardians Games returned to Amboseli after three years of being hosted in Ngorongoro, Tanzania, and it was an incredible and rewarding experience. Below, our Program Manager Luke Maamai recounts what made this year’s Games different. The Lion Guardians Games is an annual event that brings Guardians, stakeholders, and partners together to…