Today I am bringing you some really good news! I am sure that all of you are familiar with the last lion killing that happened in June outside our ranch. We were all very angry and saddened that murrans on our neighboring ranch would kill a lion in order to sell its claws. This is all that remained of the lion when we got to it.
The good news is that the culprits were arrested and taken to court. We have just heard that last week they appeared before a chief magistrate and pleaded guilty to involvement in the lion killing and being in possession of 11 lion claws that they were intending to sell.
We are told that the two murrans were each sentenced to either 36 months in jail or to pay a fine worth 100,000 Kenyan shillings each. This is really great news for us; it shows that justice is coming for the lions and the people who are wiping out the little population that is left in Maasailand today will not get away with it.
The story appeared in a Kenya Swahili newspaper called Taifa Leo. We hope that this means the word will be spread far and wide that lion killing will not go unpunished, and that other murrans will learn from this tragic lesson.
Congratulations, to those out there wondering what 100, 000 shillings is worth – the exchange rate is about 65 to the dollar so this is a very hefty fine in Kenya (we are used to wildlife crimes going for a smack on the wrist). I’ve always wondered how much a lion is actually worth though? I hear that it’s parts are worth a million shillings, but in its life time a single lion probably generates about a quarter of a million dollars through tourism revenues in Kenya. Does this sound realistic Anthony?
This is very good news and it needs as much publicity as possible to send a message to all those people tempted to make money from killing lions.
good news indeed. and thanks for posting it to us to know. i sure hope the guilty parties will not get away with murder and an easy fine as to the previous law breakers who had killed other lions in other areas in Kenya.
what if these murrans have no money or not enough money to pay for the fine? what about taking some of their pride cows? wouldn’t taking some of the cows is more effective? for now and for those who only think and are interested in their short term gain, a dead lion is worth far more than a living one. and that is why lion hunting is allowed and encouraged to those who live with the lions.
i am not a naturalist;therefore have very limited knowledge of the wild and the natural world. however, i know it takes years and much luck for a seed to grow into a tree. like a tree in the wild, chances of a lion cub to become a fully grown lion with its pride and cubs is slime. And it takes so much energy, luck and effort for a mother lioness to raise her cub/cubs successfully like bringing enough meat for herself and her cubs. meanwhile she has to defend or fight for her meal along with protecting her cub from all harm from other invasive lions,diseases, hunger,competition from her pride mates and their cubs , diseases from human pets and lions’ natural enemies like hynaes and other predators. with so much odds against any cub’s becoming a grown lion/lions, becoming one i view is a miracle in itself. if it were even hundred years ago, i would say odds were much higher for this species or any wild species.
my point is it takes years , tons of energy, determination, blessing from the supernatural for a cub to become a real wild lion, while it only takes a bullet or two, or some poison or a moment ( be it a day or days ) of men to end all the hard work and energy invested in the lion. and that is why i am against hunting of any wild life for hunting or fun sake. i am not a mother; but we all know giving birth to one’s baby is the most painful experience for any living creature to experience naturally. and raising a child is hard work and gets not vocation at all.
Well said, Sauwah!
Well done. Justice must be served. Best Wishes.
Great news!
Terrific news…I have similar questions as Sauwah though…clearly, at least from what I have read in your blog, in most cases the fine will not be able to be paid and the offenders will most certainly go to jail…do you think the harshness of the penalties (and I am not at all saying they should not be harsh) could backfire within the community, or do you think it will act as a catalyst for real change? Have you received any feedback from this particular community about the punishments yet?
So good to read this…..lions don’t deserve to die like this!
I’m very glad to hear that justice is finally served for those people who killed the magnificent lioness just for money – I hope this sends a message to would-be poachers and deters them from wiping out these beautiful big cats.
Thank you for all the work you are doing in guarding the lions and keeping everybody updated about the situation in your native land.
Best of luck 🙂
So glad to hear the poachers were caught and will pay some sort of penalty, fine and/or jail.
The work you lion conservationsts are doing is really catching on with the people. I was in Amboseli for a week the first week of August and there are more lions there than I have seen in a long time. I was told there are 50 now! Thus it appears that the work you are doing is having a positive effect around the Amboseli/Chuylu area. Thank you so much for being so dedicated and working with the people to show them conserva-
tion is the way to go. Congratulations and thanks!
[…] « Justice at last as lion killers are sentenced […]
Jan – that is great news that you saw a lot of lions in Amboseli. One of our collared lions is there – I wonder if you saw her and her pride of ten?
Paula – I believe that is true. Lions are worth a huge amount of money to the tourism industry.
Sauwah and Christine – if the murrans do not have enough money to pay the fine the community will have to sell their cows in order to help them out – they will certainly not be happy about this. I hope this will be a deterrent for everyone in the community.
Thank you all for your comments – we are also very pleased about this news! I hope it will mean real change for the area.
wow! lions in amboseli! this is so great because in the past, lions were all wimped out from articles that i read. the wonderful work of the lions guardians are doing shows us that there is hope for not only among the people and animals in that region; hope also can and does exist in other places if only people are willing to learn and change. since we are the so called smartest and the most creative creatures on earth, i expect nothing less. i do expect less from the so called wealthy or advanced countries and their people due to the fact that greed, mental illness and other social ills do keep people down or stop them from advancing.
i have discovered that people living near or among nature are lot kinder to animals than those who are so called educated and well off. just look at how inhumanely and cruelly cows,pigs, chickens and other food animals are treated before and during the slaughtering for the sake of profit and convenience. and how many sick snuff videos exist in the internet where animals are tortured like having their fur and flesh cut out for fun and thrill! we are the barbarians and are behaving worse than any wild beast for letting these people doing it under the first amendment of the constitution of the united states.
lions guardians , you are my men! the men!
I did indeed see a collared lion in Amboseli and have several pictures I could email you if you are intersted. She was in a pride of seven sleeping and lazing about close to the road prior to the nights hunting.
If you wish me to email you the picture, just let me know an email address and I’d be happy to do so.
Jan that would be great – thank you. Please send to lionguardian@gmail.com.
Antony:
I emailed three pictures to you this morning, two of the collared lioness and one of a young male very close to her.
Hope you received them alright.
Hi Jan,
I haven’t received the photos yet. I would be happy to see them