Lion Rangers
Saving Wild Lions. Promoting Co-existence.
Due to high demand, we are raising funds to expand the number of Lion Rangers trained and supported in Laikipia, home to the 3rd largest lion population in Kenya.
In January 2019, Lion Landscapes introduced the current Lion Ranger programme, in response to requests for help from local livestock owners to reduce livestock killed by lions and avoid lions being killed in retaliation. We now have 10 Lion Ranger teams in the field monitoring and protecting lions and other large carnivores, preventing attacks on livestock and working to stop the use of poisonous pesticides in retaliatory killings. That means 10 different wildlife ranches and conservancies and their neighbouring pastoral communities, covering approximately 200,000Ha, are now protected by Lion Rangers. Now, more conservancies and ranches are asking to join this programme and we are working to train all rangers on each property, not just a specialised team - allowing us to support even more livestock owners to coexist with lions.
How are Lion Ranger Units trained?
A core number of National Police Reserves (NPRs) are trained and equipped to become rapid response units capable of responding effectively to incidences of human-carnivore conflict following agreed best practices for lion conservation.
Lion Rangers are a trained to respond to wildlife poisoning incidents, preventing further losses of wildlife and minimising risk to human and livestock health.
The Lion Rangers are also trained as ambassadors for their wildlife ranch/conservancy, supporting and engaging neighbouring communities in conservation activities.
Photo: Ami Vitale
Photo: Ami Vitale
Photo: Ami Vitale
Photo: Ami Vitale
Photo: Ami Vitale
By monitoring lion movements closely, the Lion Rangers pre-empt any human-carnivore conflict by warning livestock owners of the lions whereabouts and shadowing lions when they move into areas with high risk of conflict.
Photo: Ami Vitale
Photo: Ami Vitale
Regular refresher training sessions run twice a year to ensure that standards remain high and consistent. The Lion Rangers are permanently connected to ranch management and Carnivore Conservation groups via WhatsApp for additional support and information sharing. These Lion Rangers not only actively promote coexistence between people and wildlife but they also collect and record valuable data that help us to understand more about human-carnivore coexistence and carnivore population dynamics.
Photo: Ami Vitale
Photo: Ami Vitale
‘The Loisaba Conservancy: "Since six members of our rapid response team were trained as Lion Rangers, we have experienced a low level of lion conflict. The Lion Rangers have given us confidence that if we do see an increase in livestock predation at Loisaba and in our surrounding communities, it will be handled in a professional way and not lead to the killing of lions."
This is a Coexistence Co-op initiative and supports our Collaring for Coexistence programme and our Community Coexistence Training programme.
The Coexistence Co-op is a partnership between Lion Landscapes and The Peregrine Fund to REDUCE livestock lost to large carnivores, and STOP the resultant use of highly toxic pesticides to kill 'problem' carnivores, and that indiscriminately poison critically endangered vultures.
Partners: The Peregrine Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Tusk Trust, Houston Zoo, San Diego Zoo Global, Living With Lions, KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service), Save the Elephants, Will's Africa Trust, University of Oxford WildCRU, Loisaba Conservancy, Sosian Ranch, Suyian Ranch, Mugie Conservancy.
Background story
The Situation:
The Laikipia-Samburu ecosystem is of global conservation significance for populations of black rhino, elephant, wild dog, Grevy’s zebra, Rüppell’s vultures, as well as Kenya’s 3rd largest lion population. These threatened species share the semi-arid landscape with people and livestock. Lions are normally the hardest of all the large carnivores for people to share the landscape with, but the region supports an estimated 250-300 individuals. The region is also a stronghold for critically endangered vultures. Laikipia’s commercial ranches and conservancies are particularly important for lions; supporting almost 80% of the population and replenishing numbers in the surrounding communities, where conflict is higher. The pastoral communities support lower densities of lions, but lion-human coexistence in these areas is critical for preventing retaliatory poisonings, while simultaneously ensuring landscape-scale connectivity and lion populations remain stable inside the commercial ranches, conservancies and reserves.
The Problem:
Community lands are under increasing pressure due to the rapid growth of human and livestock populations. Vast numbers of livestock not only diminish wild prey numbers, but also become an easy target and source of prey for lions. As livestock sustains families, its loss due to predation results in severe financial hardship and without immediate help livestock owners often retaliate against carnivores using poisons. Since 2002, 89 lions have been poisoned in Laikipia with ramifying consequences for vultures and other scavengers, as well as threatening human health. Vultures are disproportionate victims of poisoning and populations have crashed by >80% over three generations due primarily to the retaliatory poisoning of carnivores. Similarly, lion populations have declined across their range by more than 50% over the last two decades.The collapse of these threatened species is intricately linked.
The Solution:
The Coexistence Co-op is a joint initiative between Lion Landscapes and The Peregrine Fund, working in collaboration with local conservation partners and communities to reduce livestock killing by lions and stop retaliatory poisoning that particularly threatens vultures. Our holistic education, training and conflict management program works directly with livestock owners to build their capacity to prevent livestock depredation, and to address the widespread issue of wildlife poisoning through a One Health approach that emphasises rapid response. At the foundation of this new initiative are our Lion Rangers and Community Coexistence Training programmes, which are supported by our Collaring for Coexistence Programme.