Lion Guardians

Category: Lion Guardian reports, life in camp | Date: Nov 20 2009 | By: lionguardians

After only a little rain, the devastating drought is still ravaging the greater Amboseli ecosystem. The drought is bound to completely change specialized pastoralism, the core of the Maasai’s cultural identity. It is like a wind that blows nobody good. Wildlife of all kinds despite their shapes and sizes are also susceptible to the drought. In fact, even ostriches which are considered to be extremely hardy in dry conditions are no exception.

The little showers that came to Eselenkei arrived just at the opportune time. Though not widely distributed throughout the area, the rain came as a big relief to many species. There has not been enough rain for much grass to come out, but there has definitely been a change in vegetation cover – the shrubs and trees are now becoming green. Here are some of the new Guardians on Olgulului, our neighbouring ranch – you can see how dry the ground still is here, but at least some of the trees are becoming green!

It was against this background that our Lion Guardian team came across a big ‘ostrich meeting’ attended by over a hundred of the birds. Adult males with black and white plumage, the white being restricted to the tail and the tips of the stunted wings, dictated the proceedings. With pink heads, necks and thighs and in the company of many females, the ostriches converged together in a manner suggesting a well convened meeting with a sensitive agenda on the table!

Clearly, the birds of feather wanted to discard the so called philosophy of ‘burying their heads in the sand’ and assuming everything is just fine. (Actually, I am yet to see any ostrich burying its head)! As opposed to this very wrong assumption, the ostriches in the ecosystem not only saw the devastating drought, they were experiencing it painfully.

Tags: Kenya, lion, lion conservation, Lion Guardians, lions, Maasai, masai, ostrich

No responses yet

Category: Lion Guardian reports, Lion Guardians work | Date: Nov 13 2009 | By: lionguardians

We are very pleased to announce that the Lion Guardians project has now officially expanded into Olgulului Group Ranch! The Group Ranch which surrounds the world famous Amboseli National Park is a huge area of communal land which also borders Eselenkei Group Ranch to the North, and Mbirikani to the East, where we already have Lion Guardians monitoring and protecting the lions.

The Lion Guardians team has been welcomed onto the ranch by the leaders of this expansive Group Ranch that holds almost half the wildlife population in the Greater Amboseli ecosystem. Together with both leaders and community members, we divided the Group Ranch into 8 zones. We conducted interviews within the zones and the turn-out was absolutely amazing! Despite the ongoing ravaging drought a total of 72 Maasai warriors (or morans) were interviewed for jobs as Lion Guardians.

Ordinarily, shortlisted candidates would go into a one month voluntary period before the final selection is made, but owing to the drought, which has been so destructive for the local communities, and the hard economic times they are facing, the Lion Guardians team decided to reduce the voluntary period to 2 weeks.

A total of 10 warriors who really impressed us during this period were finally selected as Lion Guardians on Olgulului Group Ranch. In a meeting attended by community members and all the Group Ranch officials, the Lion Guardians project was officially launched with leaders promising to give total support to the Lion Guardians team, and even inviting us to expand further south of the Group Ranch.

We are all extremely happy to be working in this new area, though our work is really cut out for us now, with 10 more Guardians working for the project! It also means we need your donations more than ever, with equipment to buy and wages to pay for 10 more Guardians, not to mention the extra administration behind running a project which has now more than doubled in size! Please wish us Good Luck!

Tags: , Amboseli, Kenya, lion, lion conservation, Lion Guardians, lions, Maasai, masai, olgulului

3 responses so far

Category: Lion Guardian reports | Date: Nov 09 2009 | By: lionguardians

Lion Guardian Olubi reported that lions had killed a giraffe in his area of work, but he had not found a signal when using radio telemetry to track for collared lions. We went over to investigate, and Olubi and Mokoi guided us to the carcass.

The Lion Guardians could easily tell it been killed by a lion – they located some tracks and you could even see the scratch marks on the skin.

We used our telemetry gear to track from a hill in the area again, and could not pick up a signal. We hope that this means there are some new lions in the area! Olubi and Mokoi will keep track of any kills or lion tracks that they come across, so we can try to find out who these unknown lions are. And of course all our news will be reported to you on the blog!

Tags: giraffe, giraffe kill, Kenya, lion, lion conservation, Lion Guardians, lions, Maasai, masai

6 responses so far

Category: Lion Guardian reports, Meet the lions | Date: Nov 02 2009 | By: lionguardians

The Lion Guardians team was out on Eselenkei Group Ranch looking for the Tara pride when we received information that the wandering group of 4 male lions that we had been monitoring for the last week had visited several bomas the previous night and left death and destruction in their wake. They had killed 5 donkeys, and critically injured 2 and killed (but left intact) 4 goats that had got lost in the bush. What a disaster! Here is one of the young male lions that had carried out the attacks.

We mobilized several Lion Guardians and together with some game scouts from nearby Amboseli Porini camp (Selenkay Conservancy), they were thankfully able to prevent the agitated community members from any revengeful attacks against the lions. After successfully calming the community, the Lion Guardians team proceeded to get things ready for a potential collaring later in the evening, and started the process by doing a ‘call-in’ near to the place where the attacks had happened. This involves playing the sounds of lions roaring, or other noises that might attract lions, such as a dying prey, through loud speakers. Out of the darkness came the lions. They strolled past the car and disappeared again; this marked the start of a long game of ‘hide and seek’!

After a search that lasted more than 3 hours, one of the lions was finally collared, and the Lion Guardians that were present named the male lion ‘Sikiria’, a Maasai name meaning ‘He of the donkey’. This is the first male to be collared on Eselenkei Group Ranch. Young, big and very strong, Sikiria comes from a group of 4 lions that seem to be moving far and wide searching for everything from prey and territory to females. Here I am with Sikiria, at his collaring.

Now that the Lion Guardians can keep close eye on their locations, we hope that they will be able to prevent any more disasters from happening, by alerting community members of their whereabouts as a way of preventing human-wildlife conflicts. We will keep you posted on the activities of these rambunctious male lions!

Tags: amboseli porini, Kenya, lion, lion conservation, Lion Guardians, lions, Maasai, masai, selenkay

8 responses so far

Category: Lion Guardian reports, lion research fieldwork | Date: Oct 28 2009 | By: lionguardians

A few days ago, one of our Lion Guardians in Eselenkei was out on his lion monitoring duties when he saw the tracks of some lions. After following them a few meters, he found their kill; 2 zebras and a lesser kudu. He called Lion Guardians HQ immediately and we responded in no time. After following the tracks we found 3 female lionesses 2 of which are collared Selenkay and Narika. They were with Elikan, an un-collared lioness, and were all lying under a tree, oblivious of the new visitors. Here is Elikan.

I insisted that their tracks revealed 4 lions, rather than just 3, one of which must be a big male. We then conducted some ground tracking and after following his tracks for a few kilometers, we found the male lion. A closer look revealed his unmistakable identity - it was Lomunyak. The beautiful male lion from Eselenkei Group Ranch was probably up to something none of us knew, but he kept the secret to himself and kept a great distance between himself and the females, thinking really hard. He was probably deciding his schedule for the next few weeks before the rain comes. Respecting his decision-making process, we headed back to camp for our Lion Guardian meeting.

Tracking using telemetry equipment a few days later, we headed towards the direction of the signal and found Lomunyak with Selenkay doing some serious business! With snow-capped Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background, truth be told, Lomunyak is clearly a beauty to behold.

Another visit a few days later and we found him again seriously mating with another lioness, Elikan!

Lomunyak seems to have a great vision of the Tara pride Empire. He has carved up a territory spreading across three Group Ranches bordering Amboseli National Park. No other male lion seems willing to risk coming into this territory or else! With a pride comprising five cubs and five females to boot, one does not have to be a rocket scientist to see Lomunyak’s expansionist dream, given the right conditions. It’s these right conditions that the Lion Guardians team is trying to facilitate. We went back to camp strongly convinced that Lomunyak’s schedule before the onset of the rains will yield good results in the future.

Tags: eselenkei, Kenya, lion, lion conservation, Lion Guardians, lions, lions mating, Maasai, masai, selenkay

3 responses so far

Category: Lion Guardian reports | Date: Oct 14 2009 | By: lionguardians

In the month of September the Lion Guardians made over 40 reports of lion tracks, sightings or telemetry signals to camp. The 9 Guardians on Mbirikani have been working extremely hard to find out where all our local lions are so they can report this to our lion biologists, and also warn any herders in the area that are lions nearby.

They search for lions by looking for their tracks on foot….

…and by using telemetry receivers and aerials to pick up signals from the lions we have collared. Here is Lion Guardian Kapande tracking for collared lions in his area. He picked up the signals of our local male Kasaiyo and female Nimaoi who is often found close to him.

Please help support the work of the Guardians by making a donation to the project. Your donations pay the Guardians’ wages, help pay for their equipment and keep the project running. Thank you!

Tags: Kenya, lion, lion conservation, Lion Guardians, lions, Maasai, masai, tracking

One response so far

Category: Lion Guardian reports, Meet the lions | Date: Sep 30 2009 | By: lionguardians

A few days ago Lion Guardian Pilenanka came across a zebra that had been killed by lions not far from camp. We went down to see the carcass, and found that not very much had been eaten, and realised the lions would probably come back to the kill that night. We decided this was the perfect opportunity to put up the camera trap, and see whether the lions came back to their kill!

We carefully set up the trap by a nearby tree, and left it overnight to see who arrived at the scene of the kill. When we came back to the site the next day we found the trap had been opened up and was hanging off the tree, and covered in hairs, bite marks, blood and saliva!

The camera was switched off, and we feared that it had been completely destroyed, by what looked from the tracks to be a huge male lion!

We rushed back to camp to see whether the camera had been able to take any photos before it was attacked. It was then that we found out who the culprit was - our collared male lion Kesayou!

Unfortunately he was on the wrong side of the zebra to get a very good photo, but we have got 2, which we can recognise him from. Kesayou is extremely camera shy, and obviously did not want to be photographed while eating the zebra!

Luckily the camera still works, and once it is cleaned up it should be perfectly fine again. Next time we will have to put the trap out of his reach!!

Tags: camera, camera trap, Kenya, lion, lion attack, lion conservation, Lion Guardians, lions, Maasai, masai

6 responses so far

Category: Lion Guardian reports | Date: Sep 26 2009 | By: lionguardians

One of our new Eselenkei Lion Guardians Melita called us with some very exciting news a few days ago. He reported seeing tracks of wild dogs in his area during his daily monitoring duties! Unfortunately we haven’t got any photos of these dogs yet, but the ones below were photographed in Laikipia.

I went out to verify that these really were the tracks of wild dogs and discovered that indeed they were! It was with excitement and surprise that very early the next morning back at camp I heard a cry of a kudu near my tent. I woke up to find out what was happening, only to be confronted and barked at by 2 white tailed African wild dogs!

I immediately summoned Lenkai, one of our research assistants and together we followed the tracks of the 2 wild dogs. We discovered that the 2 were part of a pack of 16 that were roaming within Selenkay Conservancy. Filled with the excitement of coming into close proximity with one of the most endangered species in the country, we decided to follow their tracks. Their tracks, comparable only to that of a large domestic dog, have roughly triangular main pads, blunt claws and four toe imprints, but are longer and thinner than the domestic dog.

From looking at the tracks we were able to work out the story of what had happened the previous night. The dogs had come across the dry river bed, and targeted a big male kudu, chasing it until it was exhausted and eventually tearing it apart. We couldn’t believe it had happened so close to our camp!

The population of African wild dog [Lycaon pictus] is declining rapidly. In fact, the species is categorized as endangered on the IUCN Red list on the basis of small population size and continuous decline. We are so excited that these endangered carnivores are now on our ranch, and we can’t wait to hear and see more from them. We really hope they stay in the area!

Tags: African wild dog, Kenya, lion, lion conservation, Lion Guardians, lions, Maasai, masai, wild dog

4 responses so far

Category: Lion Guardian reports, Lion Guardians work, lion research fieldwork | Date: Aug 03 2009 | By: lionguardians

As we told you last week, we finally found our collared female lion Selenkay in Amboseli National Park. She had been wandering far and wide, around Amboseli and the surrounding communally owned Maasai land with 2 other females.

On Saturday we received a call from Lion Guardian Mokoi to tell us he had been following the tracks of 2 female lions on Mbirikani Group Ranch, not far from Mbirikani town, so we rushed over to meet him and find out who these lions were. We tracked from the top of a nearby hill, and found that it was Selenkay, who had come over from Amboseli with one other female!

Here is Selenkay’s beautiful friend.

We have asked Mokoi and Olubi, the Lion Guardians that work in the area closest to Selenkay’s latest position to keep a close eye on their movements, and to make sure that all the herders in the area know that they are close, so that they can keep their livestock in a different area.

The other members of the Tara pride are still located on our neighbouring ranch Eselenkei, where the new Lion Guardians are taking great pleasure in keeping track of this fantastic group of lions. Collared female Nosieki has 2 small cubs, and the other pride lioness Nasieku has 3 cubs. Here is Nosieki with one of her small cubs.

And here is one of Nasieku’s cubs, a few months older than Nosieki’s.

The cubs have great fun playing together, and with the male of the pride. The lions in Eselenkei and Mbirikani seem to be doing very well at the moment, probably because of the availability of weak prey, due to the drought. The Guardians are doing a brilliant job of monitoring their movements and reducing any possible conflicts between the local people and the carnivores.

Tags: Amboseli, cubs, Kenya, lion, lion conservation, Lion Guardians, lions, Maasai, masai

6 responses so far

Category: Lion Guardian reports | Date: Jul 23 2009 | By: lionguardians

As we told you a few days ago, the devastating drought is contributing to an increase in human-wildlife conflicts. In the last couple of weeks, reports have been streaming in from our volunteering Lion Guardians. During one week, over ten donkeys were killed by hyenas in different corners of Eselenkei Group Ranch.

Lack of enough pastures for donkeys means that many go out of bomas to graze at night. As you can see these donkeys have no grass to eat at all.

Practically all the cows have moved to far places and it is therefore very quiet near the Maasai bomas as there is little noise and light. This is a perfect environment for hyenas who are usually more fearful of attacking livestock at human habitations.

Groups of marauding hyenas have been going around killing the donkeys that go outside the bomas at night, and the people who remain here are not happy with the situation. Unfortunately as the drought continues to strike hard here, we expect the situation to persist. The Lion Guardians and the Selenkay Conservancy are working hard in this tough situation, and preventing the community from retaliating against the wildlife.

Tags: drought, human wildlife conflict, hyena, Kenya, lion, lion conservation, Lion Guardians, lions, Maasai, masai, menace

One response so far