After our female lion Nosioki and her female cub were poisoned in Osewan in Matapato outside our jurisdiction, we thought that was the end for this pride. The white poisonous substance obtained from Tanzania that was used is so lethal; we thought nothing will be spared. The male cub that survived was barely a year and even though cubs are normally weaned by 8 months, they are not independent of adults until 18 months and we therefore gave him zero chance to survive on his own.

Having mysteriously survived the lethal poison, the Lion Guardians have been on the lookout for him. His tracks have consistently been seen by our Lion Guardian Sitonik, but because he stayed on his own for so long we were still concerned for his future. Despite the fact that the elders banned poisoning in the area, our investigations revealed that another product called Red cat, which is used to eradicate rodents and is easily available in Kenya, has reportedly been used on cats to cause maximum death. It has also been tested by people in the area on dogs to deadly effect!

As a result of the on-going short rains, Osewan area has received a substantial amount of rain, causing an influx of both livestock and people. Lion Guardians were instructed to be extra vigil. A few days ago, Sitonik reported seeing clear tracks of Pua, who was the male in Nosioki’s pride, with a cub moving away from the area towards the hills. This is a very important revelation because the male cub will now stand a better chance of survival under the custody of his father than on its own! We will continue to keep you updated on his progress.