Lions are a vital component of the ecosystem and a key focus of our conservation efforts. As apex predators, lions play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of the environment. By regulating herbivore populations, they prevent overgrazing and maintain the diversity of the landscape. Their predation on weaker members of prey species also helps keep these populations healthy and robust.

 

Unfortunately, lions face significant challenges due to the growing human population. As human settlements expand, lion habitats are increasingly fragmented and diminished, forcing these majestic predators into closer contact with people. This proximity heightens the risk of human-wildlife conflict, often leading to the retaliatory killing of lions when they prey on livestock. This ongoing encroachment on their natural habitats and the resulting conflicts pose a serious threat to the survival of lion populations.

 

In collaboration with Lion Landscapes, our lion research focuses on collaring and tracking lions across the conservancy. These GPS collars provide invaluable data on lion movements, territorial ranges, and behaviours, enabling us to better understand their ecology and interactions with other wildlife and humans. This data is essential in designing effective strategies to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, such as developing early warning systems for local communities when lions are near livestock areas.

 

Lion Landscape’s "Collaring for Coexistence" initiative is a key component of this research. By monitoring lion movements in real-time, we can work closely with local pastoralists to prevent livestock losses and reduce retaliatory killings of lions. This collaborative approach not only helps protect lions but also fosters a positive relationship between wildlife conservation and the local communities who share the landscape with these predators.

 

Not all lions are collared, so how does Lion Landscapes choose which ones to collar? There are three primary reasons for collaring specific lions:

 

1. Monitoring Prides

Lions are unique among big cats because they are social animals, living in groups called prides. A pride typically consists of related females—mothers, daughters, sisters—and one or more adult breeding males. Young males are eventually pushed out of the pride when they reach sexual maturity, which helps maintain genetic diversity in the species. Lion Landscapes prioritises collaring the oldest lioness in each distinct pride. This allows them to monitor the pride's movements and inform livestock owners when the pride is nearing bomas (enclosures where cattle are kept at night). The most mature female is often the pride's leader and, as she ages, may be more likely to become a "problem" lion, targeting livestock rather than wild prey.

 

2. Monitoring Young Males

When young males leave their maternal prides, they are not yet strong or experienced enough to challenge older males for control of a pride. In avoiding territories dominated by more powerful males, they often venture into areas with less prey and more human activity, putting them at greater risk of conflict with people. 

 

3. Monitoring "Problem" Lions

Occasionally, certain lions begin to consistently target livestock instead of wild prey, becoming "problem" lions. These are typically older or weaker individuals who struggle to hunt more challenging wild prey, finding livestock to be an easier target. To manage these cases, these lions are collared and closely monitored, with their locations regularly communicated to livestock owners. This helps keep the owners vigilant and prepared to protect their livestock. Research indicates that if lions repeatedly fail in their attempts to hunt livestock, they are less likely to continue targeting them and may eventually revert to hunting wild prey.

 

For more information about our collaboration with Lion Landscapes and our efforts to protect lions at Loisaba, please visit www.lionlandscapes.com.