Missing lion Selenkay is found!
Ever since she was collared 1 ½ months ago, our female lioness named Selenkay has been missing. We have searched for her practically everywhere but all in vain; it seemed she disappeared into thin air! The Lion Guardians both on Eselenkei and Mbirikani Group Ranches, conducted an intensive ground operation to look out for tracks or sightings of three lionesses, but all the searching was to no avail.
It was therefore with a great sigh of relief that we received the news that Selenkay had been found. The Director of the Living with Lions project, Dr. Laurence Frank, joined the search for Selenkay by flying around the greater Amboseli ecosystem. He detected her signal from within Amboseli National Park. We immediately dispatched a team to verify the report and get visuals on Selenkay and her lioness companions. And here they are!
The outcome was very satisfying. A visibly pregnant Selenkay and her two sisters were found peacefully resting within the Park. Their movement patterns (which we get from downloading and mapping the GPS data from Selenkay’s collar) completely baffled our team. They have spent most of their time outside designated protected areas, visiting not only Eselenkei Group Ranch (where Selenkay was collared) but also spending a lot of time on Mbirikani and Olgulului Group Ranches.
Their beautiful, peaceful, and absolutely captivating nature marks them out from the other Amboseli lionesses. Their spots are distinctively clear…. there is no doubt that they are members of the Tara Pride! We will definitely be keeping a close eye on them, particularly as Selenkay prepares to give birth in the upcoming months. We can’t wait to find out where she’ll choose to settle down and bring her cubs into the world. Keep reading the blog to find out!
Wow! This is amazing, I love your maps – makes me want to go to Amboseli. my sister was in Amboseli last week and saw a pride of lions …could one have been Selenkay? She’ll be so pleased if it was!
paula, you sister was so lucky to see a pride of lions in the amboseli. let’s hope selenkay and her sisters will find a safe home or den for her new born to raise her babies and increase the pride member.
Thanks for this brilliant news, glad to see them moving in and around Amboseli and the surrounding areas, I did see some lions over in Amboseli in March, someone mentioned at the time that they were worried about the genetic diversity of these prides due to there shrinking habitats and that the mature males have a smaller and smaller area to travel and to spread their own genes… So all in all great to see these Mara lionesses in the area and that can hopefully stay and raise their young’s nearby…. Keep us posted..
what a wonderful news! Ive been in Amboseli in 2006 and so one lioness resting after she fed on her kill. I miss Africa so much! I miss Kenya badly.
Congrats on this beutiful job you are all doing!
What wonderful news!!! I think the girls were just out on their own little road trip, having one last fling before they are tied down with the new little ones. They are so beautiful! Great work in finding them!
Thank you for your comments. Yes, Selenkay and her companions have travelled a LOT in June and July! And if you were in Amboseli, you may well have seen them. Look out for three spotty lionesses, one with a rather fetching collar!