Lion Guardians

We are very excited that all of the ground work for our expansions into the Ruaha and Sinya areas of Tanzania are now bearing fruits. Earlier this year, we hosted a group of Barabaig community leaders from the Ruaha ecosystem in central Tanzania on an exchange visit to Kenya. They interacted with our Lion Guardians and the Amboseli community members who have partnered with the program over the past 6 years ; they went back very excited and eager to start a Lion Guardians program in Ruaha. After their return, they held community meetings throughout their territory to describe the program to their peers using their own words. The meetings resulted with the community giving us the blessing to go ahead and start the program.  Within a week of our arrival, we were able to interview and select five new Lion Guardians. They are currently undergoing training by two of our best Lion Guardians who traveled to Ruaha from Amboseli; so far the news is encouraging.

Mokoi is one of the Lion Guardians who traveled to Ruaha to train the new recruits

In West Kilimanjaro, Sinya area, the process began with a meeting of the area leaders which was attended by all zonal representatives and their community Chairman, as well as the traditional chiefs. They then convened several community meetings, all of which gave us the final blessings to start the initial process in this conflict prone area. In fact, I have just returned from there, leaving behind two of our team members who are conducting interviews for potential Lion Guardians.  The final selection will be done soon and the results announced in a community meeting. Soon thereafter, the training of the selected Lion Guardians will begin.

The new Lion Guardians will be trained in radio telemetry, the use of GPS and data recording

West Kilimanjaro is a very important area if the Amboseli lion population is to be protected; many of the lions that frequent Amboseli cross into the Tanzania border and are often killed in retaliation as a result of human-wildlife conflict.  In fact, a lion was recently killed there in early September 2012, just a few days before we started community engagement.

We believe that the the presence of Lion Guardians in this area will greatly reduce the incidences of human-wildlife conflict, thereby preserving the life of these precioius few remaining lions. Please help contribute to the success of these noble expansion plans by helping us fund the costs of getting these new sites up and running.  Your support helps us cover cost such as the salaries of the Lion Guardians and their equipment.  It also helps us pay for important field costs such as phone airtime, vehicle fuel, maintenance and repair, which are all imperative to the effective operation of the progam.

We are pleased to announce that the Lion Guardians Program has been awarded the highly prestigious St Andrews Prize for the Environment in recognition of our innovative approach to lion conservation in southern Kenya. Executive Director Dr. Leela Hazzah travelled to Scotland on behalf of the Lion Guardians Team to receive the prize. The prize money will be used to expand the Lion Guardians program to conserve lions, preserve culture, and secure livelihoods in additional areas of East Africa experiencing high rates of human-wildlife conflict. Read more about the Lion Guardians Program and the St Andrews prize.

We would like to thank all of our supporters who have helped us to get this far! We couldn’t have done it with out you!

Birdie Naape has been known by the Lion Guardians since 2004. Her Maasai name ‘Naape’ was given to her by the Lion Guardians monitoring her because she moves large distances on regular occasions across her home range.

Birdie, one of the oldest females in the ecosystem, has raised many cubs

When Birdie and her daughters Nempirbil and Nanyorri gave birth to a combined total of 9 cubs, we knew if the cubs survive, they will be one of the biggest prides in the ecosystem. The cubs which are now almost a year, look very healthy. The ability of these females to hunt together ensures a constant supply of meat which is critical to the growth of any lion. Yesterday, we found this pride resting in the open with a view of a large group of buffalos grazing nearby. The buffalos, whose population drastically reduced after the devastating 2009 drought look to be on the increase, especially along the Chyulu ranges.

Nanyorri is a Maasai name meaning "she who is loved"

This pride lives in one of the wildest places in the ecosystem therefore standing a better chance of increasing in numbers and raising the cubs to maturity. Sikiria and Oyayai, who are the resident male pair, stay nearby and pay occasional visits. Having been sponsored, this pride, which is now 14 in total, is one of the biggest in the ecosystem and our Lion Guardians are happy to keep on monitoring them to ensure their safety.

Nembirbil and her cubs

Sikiria is a male lion that initially baffled us with his movement patterns. However, since arriving at Mbirikani, he has found a perfect area to settle in. Oltiasika is an ideal lion habitat which is full of prey, water, enough females and has one of the best places to hide, the lava. Apart from engaging in some serious and consistent livestock depredation that almost stretched communal tolerance to the limit, Sikiria and his brother Oyayai had a very bright side unknown to many… dreams of expansion!

Sikiria and his brother Oyayai (standing) taking a break after an unsuccessful hunt for an eland

They have sired not less than 10 cubs in a very short time with 4 females in the area. Some of these cubs are now nearly eight months thanks to the constant care of their mothers in one of the safest areas in the ecosystem, the lava. Yesterday, when we found Sikiria and his brother shortly before sunset, I was amazed by their body size, sheer beauty and elegant manes. Sikiria has grown big in a short time and as usual, was absolutely at ease with our car while stretching with the beautiful Chyulu hills in the background. Eland are a favorite prey, and we watched as one luckily escaped the pair. By the look of things, the usual nomadic tendencies for this pair will be restricted to the Oltiasika area, courtesy of prey, safety and love.

Oyayai and his brother seem to have settled, for now, in the Oltiasika area of Mbirikani Group Ranch

Greetings!

We are pleased to present you the Lion Guardians 2011 Summary Report, which can be downloaded here. The full length Annual Report (1.3MB) can be found here.

We have had an incredible year, and have started initial expansions of our lion monitoring and conflict mitigation work in Tanzania. We look forward to hearing any feedback or comments from you about our progress this year.

We hope you enjoy these reports, and encourage you to visit us at www.lionguardians.org to follow our work or make a donation.

On behalf of the entire Lion Guardians team, I would like to express great thanks to all of our continuing and new 2011 donors and supporters. Thank you for your belief in our mission and your support in helping us to realize it.

Warmest regards,

Leela Hazzah, PhD
Founder & Director, Lion Guardians

In line with the on-going Maasai traditional transition process, within the institution of Moranism, we have recruited Nchaama as our newest Lion Guardian. He has received all the necessary training and is slowly being molded by our senior Guardians and is proving to be a valuable addition to the Lion Guardian team. Upon our recruitment of him, his age-mates in the whole of Mbirikani Group Ranch chose him as their undisputed leader. This is a symbolic gesture that carries with it great influence, respect and power not only among his age-mates but also the wider community.

Nchaama has recently joined the ranks as the newest Lion Guardian

He is a strong, brave and above all, a respectful young Moran who ably displayed his skills during the Lion Guardian games where he gave the senior Guardians a run for their money in almost every event. He actually won a prize for his efforts that seem to come from a ‘spring of energy’. Hailing from a well-known conflict “hot spot” zone, Nchaama is a good tracker. These are skills that will come in handy during his lion monitoring and community work.

Lenkina, Nchaama, Logoi and Kamunu at the Lion Guardian games

Among the lions that crisscross his expansive zone and who will be monitored by Nchaama, are Birdie with her cubs, Nemasi and her 3 cubs, and the resident pair of male lions, Kasayo and Lormanie who like to patrol alongside the volcanic lava of his zone. Nchaama is a prominent figure that can often be sighted on the exciting landscape that forms his zone. After being hired as a Lion Guardian Nchaama said “I promise to vote for lions my entire life and challenge all of  his enemies to become good friends like me.’’ We intend to benefit from his immense pool of skills and influence, as we look forward to safeguarding the existing lion population within the Amboseli ecosystem.

After several fact finding missions aimed at exploring the possibilities of expanding into Tanzania, we now are hoping to finalize everything in the next few months. With funding from Panthera, the Lion Guardian program is ready to start around Ngorongoro Conservation area on a pilot basis and we will work closely with Serengeti Lion Project in the area. Several meetings with our colleagues have been successful and there is even the possibility of an expansion to the Maasai Steppe as well.

One critical area has been along the Kenyan-Tanzanian boundary. The Kenyan side of the border had experienced about 16 lion killings before last year. We expanded to that area in September 2010 and since that time no lions have been killed. Our Lion Guardians worked closely with other stakeholders within the Amboseli ecosystem and did a commendable job. The problem is that everything changes the second lions cross over the border into Tanzania. A single depredation incident is enough to justify a hunt. Unfortunately, the majority of these hunts have been successful. In the last year alone, about five lions from the Amboseli ecosystem have been killed just across the border in Tanzania.

Lion Guardian zones

Recently, we held a very well attended cross-border meeting with all the major stakeholders including government officials from both sides and everything looked bright. We again held a follow-up workshop, both sides were in attendance. Several recommendations were made and time –lines were issued. Just when all was looking good, one of Tato’s male lions was killed in Tanzania in a retaliatory attack!

The cross-border meeting

A few days ago, our Director Dr.Leela Hazzah and Luke Mamaai visited Sinya on the Tanzanian side where they were warmly received by community leaders who are keen to embrace the Lion Guardian program. While there, they gathered some facts about the area and the possible collaboration stakeholders and returned very excited and eager to start. At this point we are only awaiting the official invitation and permission from TAWIRI, the Tanzanian governmental branch in-charge of wildlife. Once permission is granted, everything else will fall into place.

Luke and Dr. Leela Hazzah at the meeting

Lion Guardians need your help in bringing the Tanzania expansion to fruition. Help us by making a donation now so we can continue to successfully mitigate human-carnivore conflict in high risk zones, such as Tanzania.

Olamayiani – the blessed one, Mingati – one who is fast and doesn’t lag behind, Miterienanka – one who is quick to claim (win) glory by killing a lion. These are just some of the most popular lion names a moran (a Maasai warrior) can receive from spearing a lion.

In Maasai culture the first warrior to spear a lion in a successful hunt is given a name that represents the characteristics of both the warrior and the lion he speared. A lion name conveys upon the young warrior recognition and prestige amongst his community and peers. A warrior with a lion name feels that something great has happened to him. When the successful warrior brings the lion’s mane and tail back to his manyatta (his home in the community) to be put on display, he is treated and celebrated as a hero. Other warriors who don’t yet have their lion names yearn to have this same recognition and so dream about the day that it will be their turn to bring home the lion trophy.

Young warriors such as these two spear lions in order to gain a lion name

When a Maasai boy is born, he has two names. One name reflects his father’s family. He also has a given name, which is usually chosen to honor a family friend, or someone respected by the family. If for some reason this given name becomes tainted, the boy’s father can give him a new name, but the family name never changes. Once a boy has been circumcised (usually between ages 16 to 18), he stops being called by these names. He is from that point on addressed with the generic name “Moran”, unless he has somehow already killed a lion, in which case he is called by his lion name. So there is more pressure than ever for a young Moran to distinguish himself from his other nameless peers and get a name that recognizes his strength, fearlessness and ability to protect his community.

The Lion Guardians are giving young warriors lion names in recognition of the work they do as lion conservationists

However, the Maasai communities are beginning to discourage lion killing, due to the rapidly dwindling lion population; therefore many new warriors are not being given the opportunity to earn themselves a lion name, which is something that they have been dreaming about since childhood. In Eselenkei group ranch, just as a passing experiment, Lion Guardians started calling a few young Moran by lion names, even though they had not yet killed a lion. We found that the younger boys and girls of the community began addressing these young Moran by these lion names, and soon thereafter, the older members of the community did so as well. The idea caught on like wildfire and soon their peers in their age-set also wanted to have lion names. But we also found that there were still several warriors who felt that they wanted to prove themselves and their bravery in order to earn their lion name. For these warriors we have been assigning them Lion Guardian tasks, and if they are able to show that they understand conservation and are able to protect a lion, then they get a lion name that reflects the characteristics of the lions they are protecting. So it is a win-win situation for all. They are now earning the respect and admiration of their community for having protected a lion. This is just yet another example of how the Maasai are willing to adapt their culture to changing times while still holding on to the core principles and the essence of being a Maasai Warrior, a Moran.

Since the devastating drought in 2009 that created an imbalance between predators and plains game and which wiped out a very big percentage of both livestock and wildlife, the entire ecosystem has been trying to return to equilibrium. This year, the heavens have been very good in giving us the much needed rain, almost exceeding expectations. Experts in meteorology say the rainfall in most parts of the country this year is 4% above normal.

A Lion Guardian tracking lions in the shadow of an impending storm

When the short rains came, and they came at the right time, they were not short but heavy downpours of well distributed rainfall across the entire ecosystem. As a result, everywhere you look is green and beautiful. The usual eye catching geographical features like Mt. Kilimanjaro and the attractive volcanic lava along the Chyulu range are now looking extremely awesome.

Mt. Kilimanjaro in all of its glory

Depredation and the ever present human-wildlife conflict have drastically reduced as a result of availability of prey for predators. Plains game and other wildlife species are making their way out of the National park as usual, at this time of the year, and elephants are plentiful in Selenkay Conservancy. The warriors have also been returning with their livestock back to their permanent settlements and families. The good news is that so far there have been very few attacks on livestock, so no lion hunts have taken place.  This is in sharp contrast to the first rainfall in 2010 after the devastating drought – which resulted in the few surviving wildlife dispersing, so the lions turned to the few remaining cattle that had become even more valuable to their owners, and as a result, lion hunts were plentiful and the Lion Guardians had their work cut out for them.

Lions are feasting on the abundant wildlife that come with the rains

In related news, as a result of the heavy rains pounding the area upstream, the Eselenkei River burst its banks and thereafter changed its course to run right through our camp! It was completely flooded and a few areas will have to be rebuilt. Meanwhile, the Lion Guardians are doing everything possible to maintain the hard earned and existing peaceful climate around the ecosystem.

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.

Nosioki's male cub

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!

Sitonik with Nosioki's poisoned daughter

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.

Pua