Guiding Neiti & Nenguya’s pride back Home

By Filberto Mayiani, Lion Monitoring Coordinator.

Human-wildlife conflict is a devastating reality when the needs and behaviors of wildlife clash with the needs of local and Indigenous communities. Tension can lead to tragic consequences on both sides. A potent example of this is the conflict involving the Neiti & Nenguya pride, a group of lions who call the northern part of Amboseli National Park their home. The pride’s actions have led to challenges, forcing us all to confront the delicate balance between protecting these magnificent creatures and safeguarding the livelihoods of the people who share space with lions.

Neiti and Nenguya, both 10 years old, are the proud leaders of this family of 16 lions. For years, they have roamed the park, where they’ve found abundant prey, water, and shelter. Amboseli is a sanctuary, a lifeline for the pride—it offers everything they need to survive.

 

 

When the rainy season arrives, the landscape of Amboseli changes. The park’s water levels rise, and much of the prey begins to migrate. As the animals they depend on leave the park, so too does the pride, in search of food. 

Earlier this year, Neiti and Nenguya’s pride ventured into the Inkiitok and Meshanani villages. These peaceful communities, with their lush grasslands and livestock, became the hunting grounds for the pride. The lions, driven by desperate hunger and the instinct to survive, began attacking livestock. And with every cow, goat, and sheep they took, tension between the pride and the community escalated. Within just two weeks, the pride had killed at least three cows and injured several other animals. Naturally, a sense of anger and fear mounted, and soon, a hunt for the pride was initiated.

The stakes were high. Neiti and Nenguya’s pride were not just ordinary lions; they were park lions, accustomed to the safety and protection of Amboseli National Park. Unafraid of humans, their fearlessness made them vulnerable outside the park’s boundaries. A hunt would almost certainly lead to their deaths, but we couldn’t let that happen. We knew immediate action was crucial to protect both the pride and the community. Our response team, including local stakeholders, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Olgulului-Ololarashi Group Ranch rangers, and community members, collaborated to develop a solution. Our goal wasn’t to harm the pride, but to safely guide them away from the villages and back to the sanctuary of the park.

 

The first day of our mission was grueling. With reports of the pride killing two cows, several others missing, and the looming threat of an imminent hunt, tensions were high. We acted quickly, helping the community transport the carcasses, searching for the lost cows throughout the night, and patrolling around the homesteads. The following morning, we carefully guided the lions away from the homesteads and grazing areas into what we hoped would be a safer location for both the lions and the community. However, that evening, we received word that the pride had returned, and the tension in the community was rising once again.

The next day, we devised a strategy to herd the pride back to the park during the night, after all the livestock had been safely returned home. This task felt like an intense game of hide-and-seek, as the lions darted in every direction, evading us at every turn. Despite the challenges, we pressed on—eight long, exhausting hours later, we succeeded. Neiti, Nenguya, and the rest of the pride were safely guided back to the park. There was a brief moment of relief, but it was fleeting. The following day, we were called again—this time, the pride had attacked a cow along the park boundaries. And so, the cycle began anew.

The work was exhausting. Our vehicles got stuck in the mud, the days were long, and the uncertainty of each new day weighed heavily on us. Yet, despite these challenges, there was a profound sense of purpose. As an organization committed to human-wildlife coexistence, we understood that our efforts went beyond protecting the pride; they were about finding solutions that benefit both the lions and the people who share this land.

The road ahead will never be easy—there will always be challenges and difficult decisions to make. But we continue to believe that humans and wildlife can coexist peacefully. We witness this every day in Amboseli, and we remain dedicated to doing everything in our power to mitigate conflicts and nurture lasting coexistence, now and in the future.