Lion Guardians

Category: Uncategorized | Date: May 04 2008 | By: admin

Hello, Amy here. I am writing my first post while Antony is taking a well-earned few days off work. I have already been introduced by Antony, but I thought I would tell you a bit more about what I am doing here with the Lion Guardians, and why I think their work is so important.

I have been associated with the Living with Lions project for a while now, having made their website as part of my Masters project three years ago. Since then I have been updating the site and helping out the project in my spare time, while working as a producer.

Now I have swapped my London office, for a tent in the beautiful Chyulu Hills region of Southern Kenya, and am working as a volunteer for the Living with Lions project, which includes the Laikipia Predator Project, Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project, and of course the Lion Guardians. Although I am not getting a salary, there are a few major perks to the job - here I am with a male lion, which was darted by the Laikipia Predator Project last week for a collar change.

I think the Lion Guardians is a fantastic program. It is so great to see the Maasai warriors, who once used to spear lions, have now changed their attitudes towards carnivores, and have also helped to change those of their communities. It is extremely encouraging to see them bringing about real differences to the environment around them.

I am hoping to help the Guardians raise more much-needed funds through this blog. The project is always in need of donations, which among other things, go towards the costs of equipment, for example telemetry equipment so that the Guardians can track collared lions, and mobile phones, so that they can report their findings to us at camp. And of course we also need money to pay their wages! We are also desperately in need of a vehicle, as Antony’s bike is not a satisfactory form of transport, especially in the rainy season!

We know that everyone gives what they can. The problem is that we need to make more people aware of what we are doing, and the work that still needs to be done. Soon we will be starting a Sponsor a Lion Guardian campaign, and we hope that our loyal readers will help us by sending our blog address to anyone who might be sympathetic to the cause.

Thank you so much for all your donations. It is inspirational that so many people are interested in lion conservation and are willing to helping the Lion Guardians in their goal to conserve wild carnivores in Maasailand.

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Category: Meet the Lion Guardians | Date: Apr 26 2008 | By: admin

I know you are interested to hear more about my trip to Nairobi. I will write more about this after my journey back to camp, which I’m sure will be full of events too! Right now I want to tell you about how Lion Guardian Kapande is doing, as I think you will also want to hear about him. You may know he has been ill with appendicitis, and the readers of this blog have given very generously to support him with his medical expenses. I was so happy to visit him last week, just to see him and how he has been since I left him last in Nairobi hospital. Thankfully he was doing just fine, and his wound is healing. His wife is still at the clinic and according to Kapande’s mother she is doing ok. She delivered a baby girl.
The family is so proud of us all - the readers of the blog who helped raise funds for his hospital and expenses to Nairobi, and of myself for my little help I was able to give his family, especially his mother.

He is still weak- that is why I did not want to take a photo of him, but maybe in the next week he will have gained some health and I will be able to take a recent photo of him. In the meantime, here is Kapande before he became ill.

We would also like to say welcome back to Wildlife Direct to Seamus, who is now writing about his lion research with the Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project. He will be giving you information about his fieldwork and research, and the biology of the lions that the Guardians are helping to protect.

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