Lion Guardians

Category: Meet the lions, lion research fieldwork | Date: Mar 05 2008 | By: admin

Another lion dead!
I am sad to bring you news of yet another lion killed. This is the eighth lion killed in a four month period. This happened to the west of our camp almost 50kms, on the neighboring Eselenkei Group Ranch. The lion was completely innocent, no livestock had been killed. The group of two murrans (warriors) and five dogs defied the orders of the elders and saw it fit to go out and killed this immature female lion.
This is the hind leg with the paw removed.

The lioness was in a pride of five lions; a male, another lioness and two young cubs. She was a sub-adult. There is no reason for the killing apparently. A weak reason being given out by the culprits is that the lions had killed a cow a week earlier. But the cow owner had not bothered to go out and kill the lions nor had his three murran sons.
The two murran were taken into custody and are awaiting their case. I will update you on any outcomes once I get them.

Dried blood from the site; after the lion was killed almost a week ago.

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Mar 02 2008 | By: admin

Hello everyone,
Sorry we have been quiet, we’ve had some problems posting blogs, but it seems we will be back on track soon. I have a lot to tell all of you, but I will start with telling everyone about the conference I went to in Nairobi….

The Kenya Wildlife Service convened a meeting for all the stake holders and conservation experts to address the declining number of lions and spotted hyenas in Kenya. The workshop was working towards setting some visions and goals that can be undertaken in the near future to address the indiscriminate killing of these animals and create a healthy ecosystem that makes it viable for the remaining populations to thrive.

I was invited to attend this workshop on lion and hyenas. I went to represent Lion Guardians program. The plenary was greatly concerned on the decline in habitat and the unnecessary killings of these animals. I was happy that this took place to save the population of these two species. If the strategy which was put forth at the meeting comes to conclusion, then, the less than 3,000 lions left in Kenya today and the unknown, though also declining, number of spotted hyenas, will have ground to grow. I do hope this event stimulates fruitful ways of saving the African lion and other carnivores.

Here I am at the conference, hanging out at the Problem Tree.

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