Written by John Merishi – Lion Guardians Office Manager We Maasai believe that the elephant is possibly one of the cleverest animals in existence. We have witnessed through the ages that a female elephant buries her placenta deep into the earth post giving birth. Thus, it is very rare to see an elephant’s placenta. As…
Kikanai was born in 1992 and spent his childhood in his grandfather’s boma in Eselenkei. His parents lived further away in Entonet. Since he was six years old he has been responsible for looking after his grandfather’s livestock but he also found time to play with his friends. As a young boy he enjoyed swimming…
Our project manager Luke Maamai recounts his journey with Lion Guardians. It was in 2008, when my journey with Lion Guardians begun. I had no idea then that the rampant killing of lions could be controlled. There were so many reasons why people were killing lions – retaliation, traditional rite of passage, political motivations and…
Lion Guardians is pleased to share that passionate nature lover & jewelry designer, Temple St. Clair is supporting us by donating proceeds from each and every piece of her new Lion Cub collection to further our mission of conserving lions and preserving cultures. The Lion Cub Collection is sold online at templestclair.com and in select stores across North…
It is with great sadness that we bring news of a fallen legend. Although we may have lost a lion, we know for certain that this particular lion, Oyayai (One of the Porcupine), lived life to the max and prospered as any male lion could have wished. If you are unfamiliar with Oyayai, please read…
Last year a lion cub cohort of seven individuals (aged between 1.5-1.8yrs old) were struggling to survive having just dispersed from their mothers. Finding it hard out on their own, they resorted to killing livestock to survive and any small wildlife that they could successfully hunt. After one particular incident last February, where they killed…
In 2009, our Executive Director, Dr. Leela Hazzah and our program manager Luke Maamai, spent almost a year interviewing traditional Maasai warriors in order to fully understand their motivations behind lion killing. They strongly believed, that understanding these motivations would be key to designing appropriate and effective actions to reduce lion killing. We are…
Male lions Olomartin and his brother Oltoposat have recently been overthrown from their strong hold by three younger males. As a result, these two have moved into a different territory with many Maasai bomas (livestock corrals). Unfortunately, Olomartin and Oltoposot have seized on this opportunity and turned their attention to livestock, in particular attacking Maasai bomas…
Today the Selenkay pride are a shining example of how lions living on community lands can overcome the immense challenges they face in the battle for coexistence. And their story of survival can be credited to one amazing lioness – Selenkay. The rapid growth of her family even during most difficult times is a testament…
Most cats are loners; lions are one of the few cat species that live communally. Recently we were advised by the Game Watchers Porini guides in Selenkay conservancy, that members of the Selenkay Pride were nursing some injuries. The uppermost question in our minds was what could possibly have happened? When we went to check…