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A collared lioness in Laikipia More than half of the world’s remaining lion range is shared with people and livestock. People represent the major threat to lions in these areas, killing them directly through legal hunting or illegal poaching, or in defence of livestock, and by removing vital wild prey or destroying important habitat. Although counter-intuitive when considering a top predator, it is actually not surprising that many lions are deeply afraid of people. It is this fear of people coupled with lions’ ability to be flexible in their behaviour, however, that allows lions and people to co-exist. Lions can learn and change their behaviour to avoid detection by people. This vital flexibility in behaviour they exhibit, however, normally involves a trade-off. For example, avoiding areas occupied by people might help reduce a lion’s chance of being killed but permanently avoiding such areas can also limit access to valuable resources. Our previous research revealed that lions showed some use of areas near guarded livestock encampments - known as bomas in East Africa - at night when people are most likely to be inside their houses and sleeping. What we could not determine was exactly how lions were using these areas around bomas. Our past GPS collar data showed us where a lion was at hourly intervals, and how long it took a lion to get from one point to another. We could see that bomas affected lion movements from over 1.5 km away; lions sped up when approaching a boma and then appeared reluctant to leave, but were they feeding on wild prey? Were they resting? Both of these are beneficial activities. Or were lions simply being drawn in by the inaccessible livestock guarded in bomas, and lying there licking their lips in nervous frustration? The latter could waste valuable energy whilst providing little returns at best, and be risky at worst. A herdsman in his boma with his herd of cows Advances in technology and a large collaborative effort between Lion Landscapes, the University of California, Living With Lions and Ewaso Lions made answering these questions possible. Lions were fitted with a collar that works like a Fitbit, collecting many thousands of 3-dimensional data points a day. After analysis, this data allowed the team to distinguish between different but similar behaviours, such as feeding/sleeping/resting but alert. In short, we were able to see not only where the lions were at any one time, but also more accurately map what they were doing. An example 24-h movement path from a single lion from Suraci et al 2019. Five-minute GPS locations (points) are colored based on the lion’s behavioral state. The location of an active boma (black cross) is shown. The Fitbit type data sets from 14 lions collected in this study were huge and unprecedented in the amount of detail they gave us but we also combined them with other data sets; all potential kill sites were visited by field teams, creating a large database on collared lion hunting success across the landscape. We also mapped habitat structure and the nighttime location of bomas so we could measure at any time of the night where collared lions were in relation to livestock herds. We expected that collared lions’ use of areas around bomas would be limited, and when they did use these areas, we expected that they would remain wary, possibly hunting and feeding less, even during the night when people were not active. What the data revealed, however, was quite different. During the day, when the chance of encountering people was highest, lions did indeed avoid habitat within 2 km of a boma. At night, when the chance of encountering a person was much lower because people were confined to their houses and asleep, lions tended to choose habitat within 2 km of a boma. This supported findings in our earlier research but what were lions doing close to bomas at night? Interestingly lions choose to hunt wild prey and feed more often at night near a boma than any other habitat or time, taking into account the proportion of availability. This may not sound like much but it is encouraging news because it indicates that lions are even more adept at making the most of areas occupied by people than we thought. In fact, study lions seemed to actively access the resources in those areas whenever people were not active. Herds man walking his cows back to a boma As the human population continues to grow, even this flexibility shown by lions will be sorely tested but findings in this paper give hope. Areas around bomas are possibly not the negative void in the landscape for lions we feared they might be. If we can ensure that lions have safe havens (e.g. thick bush or steep rocky slopes) to hide and rest in during the day when areas close to bomas are unsafe, if we can make sure that livestock are well guarded to prevent lions killing them, and if we can keep enough wild prey, then lions can and will do what it takes to survive. For access to the full paper ‘Behaviour-specific habitat selection by African lions may promote their persistence in a human-dominated landscape’ please click here

Lion Rangers Learning how to use SMART In January 2019 Lion Landscapes started using a mobile phone application to collect data and report incidences in the field. The APP is called SMART. We use SMART (Spatial Monitoring And Reporting Tool) with the Cybertracker plugin which allows data to be collected with an easy-to-use interface. This set-up enables Lion Landscapes to measure, evaluate and improve the effectiveness of current conservation activities. The application has a specialised model built to collect data based on the Lion landscapes requirements to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. In particular, Lion Landscapes collects data on collared lion movement and habits, wildlife sightings, poisoning events, dead animal sightings, illegal activity, fence breakages and human-wildlife conflict. The application is used to record the Rangers boma visits and the resulting livestock husbandry advice given in each situation. The El Karama Guides practicing the new data collection technique During our recent Lion Ranger training we introduced SMART to the Lion Rangers and provided each of the teams with extremely durable mobile phones to use. Each phone has an inbuilt GPS system which makes it easy to track the Lion ranger’s movements and observations. This means for every data entry, we have a reliable GPS location. The mobile phones are also equipped with cameras so the rangers can visually record any observations. The previous method of data collection was in the form of paper reports and word of mouth both of which are time-consuming and much more difficult to keep track of. With the use of SMART and Cybertracker data collection and analysis will become much more efficient and make it much easier to report back to all the stakeholders and landowners in the area. Lion Rangers using SMART to collect data For more information on how we use SMART and Cybertracker please do not hesitate to contact antonia.leckie@lionlandscapes.org http://smartconservationtools.org/ https://www.cybertracker.org/ #HoustonZoo #LoisabaConservancy #ThePeregrineFund #lion #thenatureconservancy #tusktrust #thelionrecoveryfund #collaringforcoexistence #laikiipia #wildCRU #LionLandscapes #Pridelionalliance #kws #innovation #TuskTrust #lionlandscapes #ElKarama #LionRangers

On the 22nd of January a small group from the wider Laikipia area attended a LINC training program run by Nadia de Souza from Lion Guardians. LINC- the Lion Identification Network of Collaborators- is an open source software developed as a tool for lion researchers to store, manage and share data about individual lions, creating a rich network of conservation information that crosses international and inter-institutional boundaries. This allows researchers to more accurately monitor lion populations and better understand the connectivity between them; a critical aspect of maintaining genetic viability within increasingly isolated populations. The LINC training group Participants at the training learned how to use the LINC software to incorporate lions from within the Laikipia landscape onto the system. This included training on how to take the best photographs for LINC, how to enter photos of new lions, and how to check these individuals against lions already recorded in the database by other researchers to look for any potential matches and connections. Through LINC, identification can be done using the built-in automated artificial intelligence identification tool, a first-of-its kind facial recognition software designed for animals such as lions that do not have unique patterning, like stripes or spots. Getting lions from across Laikipia onto LINC will add to the data Lion Landscapes have from collared lions and help us to learn more about our lion population dynamics and how far our lions wander. This in turn will help reveal where the areas of connectivity still lie for example, if a lion previously recorded in Samburu is seen in Laikipia, we will be able to more easily recognise it and know its history. The ability to identify individual lions quickly and accurately, with or without collars, will also be vital in terms of conflict management. Rather than vaguely stating “an adult male killed livestock”, we will be able to identify the specific lion. This will help other livestock owners to recognise the livestock killing lion and so manage their livestock husbandry appropriately when that lion is nearby. In order to maximise our knowledge on lion individuals and, at the broader scale, lion population dynamics and movements, we need to add as many photographs of lions across the Landscape as possible. Lion Landscapes will work with stakeholders in the area to record and manage these photographs and data on LINC. If you are interested in contributing to the Laikipia LINC database please do not hesitate to contact antonia.leckie@lionlandscapes.org to learn more about what photographs are needed and how best to send them. To find out more about LINC please visit www.linclion.org If your organisation is interested in becoming part of LINC please contact nadia@lionguardians.org or info@linclion.org #HoustonZoo #LoisabaConservancy #ThePeregrineFund #lion #thenatureconservancy #tusktrust #laikiipia #LionLandscapes #wildCRU #Suyian #Pridelionalliance #TuskTrust #Sosian #laikipia #lionlandscapes #AlayneCotterill #lions #LINC

To promote human-carnivore coexistence in Laikipia, last month Lion Landscapes launched the Lion Landscapes Ranger Program at Loisaba Conservancy. Laikipia is home to Kenya’s third largest lion population with almost 80% of these lions residing on commercial ranches and private conservancies. Livestock killing by large carnivores has increased in many parts of the region, after the recent drought and exposure to large numbers of weak and dying livestock. The Lion Landscapes Ranger Program will increase our capacity to respond to requests for help from livestock owners, reduce livestock lost to large carnivores and help restore coexistence between large carnivores and people. The first Lion Ranger recruits, six National Police Reserves from Loisaba Conservancy, learnt all about how to coexist with large carnivores and how to help prevent human-carnivore conflict in their areas. These new recruits to large carnivore conservation will form a rapid reaction team, who respond quickly and effectively to incidences of human-carnivore conflict, poisoning or infectious diseases on Loisaba and in the neighbouring communities. By working with livestock owners and monitoring lion movements closely, Lion Landscapes Rangers will also try to 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. During the training, the six new Lion Rangers were taught about large carnivore ecology and behaviour, how to age and identify individual lions, how to protect livestock from attacks by large carnivores and how to respond to and help livestock owners who have lost livestock to large carnivores. They also learnt how to monitor collared lion movements and collect valuable research data. Part of the course involved having to think like a lion, conducting role plays on how a lion would approach and attack a livestock boma, and how best to prevent such an attack. After this exercise, they discussed what could be improved at each boma visited to prevent an attack by all large carnivores. In collaboration with Living with Lions, The Peregrine Fund and others, we plan to expand this initiative over the next six months, increasing local capacity to reduce human-carnivore conflict, while promoting human and livestock health over the wider area. We would like to give special thanks to Loisaba Conservancy, Living with Lions and the Peregrine Fund for their collaboration on this effort and The Nature Conservancy, Tusk Trust and Houston Zoo for their generous funding. #laikipia #LoisabaConservancy #LionLandscapes #ThePeregrineFund #thenatureconservancy #TuskTrust #HoustonZoo

We are delighted to announce lots of new lion life in Laikipia! Narok and Labai, the two lionesses collared in January 2018 for Lion Landscapes #collaringforcoexistance program have both had cubs since being collared. Following a gestation period of four months, the lioness retreats into thick impenetrable habitat to give birth, keeping her cubs hidden for up to six weeks. As a result, we are usually unaware of when a female has had cubs. However, the GPS maps we download from their collars each morning onto the Save the Elephants app allows us an insight into the intimate details of where they have been and also what they have likely been doing. Consequently, we were able to track and pinpoint the exact day Labai and Narok’s cubs were born! Narok had her cubs on a very steep rocky cliff covered with thick scrub on Loisaba Conservancy. While Labai retreated to some huge rocks on Suyian Ranch, the area is almost inaccessible even on foot. Due to the GPS maps showing their movements we were able to warn livestock owners in the area to be especially vigilant for a hungry lioness with small cubs, as this time isolated from pride life is when lionesses are more likely to resort to taking livestock! Thomas, our senior research assistant was also able to see the cubs early on, counting how many were born giving us valuable information on cub survival. At birth the cubs weigh around 1.5kg (3 lbs.) and their eyes do not start opening until day three. They remain fully dependent on their mother until they are weaned after six to eight months. After the trials of 2017 we are incredibly happy to see new life in these prides ensuring stability in their populations. We remain extremely grateful to The Nature Conservancy, Tusk Trust, Will’s Africa Fund, the Kenya Wildlife Service, and our many crowd donors for supporting the work we do, enabling us to better monitor the lion populations of Laikipia.

Something you might not expect from dedicating your life to lion conservation is how little you actually get to see a lion. Lions have adjusted to survive in the un protected, human-dominated landscapes we work in by becoming even more elusive. We are ‘watching’ but mostly the fascinating GPS maps that download from their collars each morning, showing us the intimate details of where they have been and what they have likely been doing. We also see the signs they leave behind them, a footprint in the dust, a pungent black dollop of tar like dung, a slowly drying blood patch, stomach contents and bone fragments that indicate that lions were right there. We are also fast to react to the other things lions sometimes leave behind, the angry or frightened people who have had livestock stolen from them quietly while they sleep, or amidst desperate attempts to stop their panicking livelihoods thundering off into the dark. Despite the intensity of the moments when lions do bless us with a red-blooded sighting, the most remarkable thing about lions in unprotected areas (unlike popular tourist destinations, where lions are relaxed around people and often easy to see) is all the times we don’t see the lions that are there. The many, many times those huge and powerful animals completely elude the people all around them. 2017 was a tough years for lions and people in our study area in Laikipia but because of donors like The Lion Recovery Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Tusk Trust, Pride and many generous individuals, Lion Landscapes is starting 2018 with exciting new projects and partnerships; from developing wholistic approaches to managing lion-human coexistence (Collaring for Coexistence, Lion Landscapes Scouts - Laikipia) to playing a key role in creating a new, sustainable way of supporting the conservation of lions, their prey, and their habitat (Lion Carbon - Zambia). We are also helping partners to develop new and innovative ways of protecting livestock (Predator Protection Devices, Boma Shield), and of course we are always continuing the research required to support and verify our conservation activities through our affiliation with the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, and our collaboration with the University of California Santa Cruz. We think 2018 is going to be a good year for lions, and the people who share their Landscape with them. We hope 2018 is a good year for you too. If you don’t see a lion in the wild this year, know we are working hard to ensure they are still out there for you to see one day. #lionlandscapes #wildCRU #thelionrecoveryfund #thenatureconservancy #tusktrust #biocarbonpartners #kws #collaringforcoexistence #lionlandscapesscouts #lioncarbon #lion #laikiipia #luangwavalley

As always, we are trying to come up with new ways to help people and lions live together, and currently partnering in some exciting new innovations. We have recently deployed the second prototype of The Predator Protection Device (PPD), developed by Chris Vargas and the University of Notre Dame Dept of Computer Science, in an area where lions have been regularly attacking livestock. The project has been funded by Chris Vargas, the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation and National Geographic. The PPD builds on the ingenious ‘Lion Lights’ designed by the young Maasai boy Richard Turere to imitate human activities at bomas (livestock enclosures). The PPD is designed to periodically emit both light and sound patterns, imitating torch light and human voices, or other disturbing sounds. Emissions are totally randomised to try to reduce habituation. PPDs are packed in single, easy to carry and deploy units, each with its own built in solar charger. So far, our test of the prototype PPDs is going very well. After two weeks of deployment, the PPDs have been 100% effective, whereas control bomas have been attacked by lions 3 times. We continue to watch to see if habituation becomes a problem but our hopes are high. Read more. We are also helping to test the ‘Lion Shield’, a system designed by Savannah Tracking that not only defends livestock from lions but will also help us to retrain lions that have become used to killing livestock. Lion Shield comprises a GPS collar, allowing us to track the lion’s movements, and an alarm system. The GPS collar contains a chip that triggers a loud alarm/lights stationed at bomas when, and only when, the collared lion approaches - sensors can tell the lion’s direction of movement and distance from the boma. This alone should act to scare the lion away, but the system also acts to alert the people at the boma to come out and defend their livestock before the lion even arrives. Using deterrents like this could make it almost impossible for livestock killers to access livestock, and help persuade them to go back to killing wild prey. Read more. Affordable technologies like these reduce livestock losses and compliment other efforts to engage local livestock owners in the conservation of lions. We will continue to let you know how the Laikipia lions respond to them. #lions #innovation #PredatorProtectionDevice #ChrisVargas #UniversityofNotreDameDeptofComputerScience #lionlights #richardTurere #SavannahTracking #LionShield

While the huge herds of invading Samburu and Pokot cattle have been occupying the commercial ranches of Laikipia, they have impacted on the future of Laikipia’s lion population in several ways. Firstly, the invading warriors have killed some lions directly. Secondly, they have killed many of the lion’s wild prey, either directly by shooting them or indirectly by stripping the area of grass. And thirdly, the invasions have provided the lions with a plentiful supply of weakened and poorly guarded livestock ‘meals’. While this may seem like a benefit, it is probably the greatest of the three threats to the future of Laikipia’s lions. For most of Laikipia’s residents, the disappearance of the invading herds will represent a huge release in the pressure of survival but for lions it will also represent the disappearance of a stable source of food. Our normally well behaved Laikipia lions will have a double whammy to deal with; a habit of killing livestock coupled with a lack of wild prey. Last year, the end of much smaller land invasions resulted in several, previously well-behaved lions, repeatedly and determinedly attacking ranch livestock enclosures. The high levels of tolerance on the commercial ranches, and the fact we were monitoring the lions closely using GPS collars, meant that we were able to keep all but one of those lions alive. This time, we will need to be even better prepared. See our posts on ‘Innovations’ to read more about how we are preparing for the period after the cows leave. #laikipialandinvasions #collaringlions #AlayneCotterill #lionlandscapes

Many people will be familiar with the Laikipia land invasion stories by now. The immediate impact on the affected ranches, surrounding communities, and wildlife of the area has been devastating. What is less known is the many thousands of smaller knock-on effects that will follow such a sudden and drastic change in land-use. All these stories are useful for anyone who is interested in promoting coexistence between people and wildlife. This is an example of one collared lion’s response to a sudden influx of very high densities of people and livestock into his home range. It just happens to be the only GPS collared lion we (and our partners Ewaso Lions) had in the afflicted areas at the time. With a sample size of exactly ‘1’, we should be careful about drawing any conclusions from his movement patterns but it is interesting none the less. When the first invading herds started to arrive on Suyian, Livingstone didn’t change his movements much, he still predominantly used the open plains of Suyian. These plains were, at the time, his pride’s favourite hunting grounds, but already represented a departure from their normal home range on Northern Loisaba. Prior to collaring, Livingstone’s pride had already made one shift west to Suyian, after invasions of high densities of livestock on Loisaba. As the densities of livestock and people drastically increased on Suyian, Livingstone began to restrict his movements to the Loisaba side of his home range. He also started to hug the steep escarpments, where the rugged terrain limits the movements of people and livestock. The invading herds did not strictly stick to the ranch boundaries shown on my map, so even on the Loisaba side lions would have felt the pressure from increasing humans and livestock. During this time, Livingstone and his pride still made forays onto the plains but infrequently and only under the cover of darkness. At the height of human disturbance on Suyian and neighbouring Sosian, Livingstone left the area altogether. He has not returned to this day. We are not yet sure how many of his pride still travel with him because they have continued to predominantly stick to thick and inaccessible terrain. We are sure, however, that during the 15+ years we have been following this pride, this is the first time they have left their normal pride area on Northern Loisaba. Now Livingstone is in the territories of other lions we know, and negotiating the politics of his own kind, compressed into a smaller area by human encroachment, will be an ongoing challenge. Which factors are most important in driving these observed movement patterns is an interesting question. Is it fear of people, reductions of wild prey, or something else altogether? The influx of many thousands of livestock, and the armed herders accompanying them, certainly cannot be ruled out as a probable cause. Our earlier research indicates that avoidance of high densities of pastoralist people due to fear (not limited food) is typical behaviour. Wildlife and pastoralist people can coexist, in fact coexistence with people is key to the survival of many wide-ranging species like lion but the Laikipia ranch invasion story is revealing limits to that coexistence. Where these limits lie, and whether there are any mitigating factors, is something we need to know if we are going to strive for better human-wildlife coexistence. #laikipialandinvasions #EwasoLions #AlayneCotterill #lionlandscapes #collaringlions #Suyian #Sosian

It is International Woman’s day today. My mum, ever the advocate for equality between the sexes, has been part of a big event where they run a all day radio program discussing a wide range of subjects to do with being a woman today. The end of one discussion I caught was about being a woman in science and tech. I was interested to hear the speaker talking about working in a male dominated workplace. It made me realise that I hadn’t considered my gender in the workplace for many years. When I started my wildlife career 25 years ago, it was certainly a very male dominated field but not anymore. In fact, there are possibly more woman than men in large carnivore conservation today. When it comes to leaders of big lion conservation projects, men could be forgiven in feeling outnumbered. Woman’s day gives me the excuse to talk about the Pride Lion Conservation Alliance, of which I am a proud member. We started Pride because, as a group of good friends/colleagues, we felt that we could do so much more for lions if we worked together. Tired of fighting for every pot of donor money, and protecting knowhow and territories, we decided that lions needed a united front. We decided this as leaders of lion conservation projects, and only later recognised that we also happened to all be women. Creating a true alliance might have been difficult but instead it has been energising. Rather than individual projects all striving to do our best to save lions, we are now part of something much bigger, more effective, and more hopeful. And yes, I do wonder how much the nature and strength of Pride is to do with the fact the founders are all women. Just a thought, just for today. Read more about Pride at www.pridelionalliance.org #Pridelionalliance #AlayneCotterill #lionlandscapes

Two days ago, Thomas heard that a lion had been killed in our study area in Laikipia. After a risky investigation during which time he had to pose as a member of another tribe in order not to be killed himself, he was lead to the carcass, skinned with all parts of any cultural value removed. The lion is likely one of Livingstone’s 3 brothers, or another similar young male from a neighbouring pride. It was impossible to tell from what remained. You will have seen articles on the land invasions in Laikipia. In short, there is currently a ‘perfect storm’ of political and climatic factors resulting in many thousands of community livestock being driven into the commercial ranch land. It is a complex story with many view-points but today I want to tell it from the lion’s perspective. The commercial ranch land in Laikipia has long acted as an unofficial protected area for lions and other wildlife. When I first started putting GPS collars on lions in the area, I was most interested in how lions utilised the different land-use types but it was fascinating how little they ventured away from the commercial ranch land. Instead they marked the boundaries of the commercial ranches with their movements; boundaries that had no physical features on the ground and yet lions seemed to understand that on one land-use (commercial ranches) they were safer than on the other (traditional pastoral land). Lions and pastoral people in Kenya have a long and complex relationship which is beyond the scope of this post but usually they rub along OK unless lions kill precious livestock, then they may be killed in response. Lions can and do survive in traditional pastoralist areas (see important work by our partners in Pride, particularly Ewaso Lions who are our partners in the same ecosystem), but it is not easy – they usually survive in low densities and make all sorts of behavioural trade-offs to survive (see attached paper). The commercial ranch land in Laikipia offers a refuge, where larger more stable prides are able to survive and breed more successfully, replenishing surrounding populations. This was not always the case. When I displayed some of our lion GPS data to the ranchers, showing how important the commercial ranch land was to all the lion prides, one of the older ranchers stated with a snort that back in the old days lions wouldn’t dare set foot on the commercial ranch land. Back then it was safer for lions in the pastoralist communities, where there were low densities of people and livestock and plenty of wild prey. On the commercial ranches, lions were shot as vermin. If we had GPS collars back then, the vast pastoralist communities would have been full of lion locations, and the commercial ranch land would have been a blank hole, a small island of high risk in a sea of lion habitat. But a lot has changed, numbers of people and livestock has inexorably increased in the communities, pushing natural resources to the limit. And the commercial ranch land has increasingly become a small island of protection in a sea of high risk for lions. Lions seemed to know, not only where the invisible boundaries to their safe island lay, but also the inherent risks of crossing them. But the boundaries have disappeared, the communities are increasingly coming on to the commercial ranch land. Not normal communities, where a level of co-existence might be found, but huge concentrated herds of 40-70,000 livestock, accompanied by armed and politically incited warriors. This is Armageddon for lions. Livingstone and his pride have changed their movements to survive. Rather than spending most of their time on the open plains where most of the zebra were but now thousands of cows graze instead, they now hug the steep rocky escarpments, and only ventures up onto the plains after dark. This is a compromise of sorts but how long before the wild prey is out competed by the huge herds of cows, and Livingstone and his pride turn to eating livestock instead? Other lions have not been so lucky. The lion pictured in this post found himself surrounded by a vast herd of community livestock. He stayed still and hidden for a while but when they closed in on him, he panicked and ran at the closest person, no doubt trying to break through. An old man was bitten but managed to spear the lion, and other warriors rushed in and shot the lion dead. I imagine a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid moment. I am not sure where the lion would have escaped to. The herds of starving livestock and their accompanying people appear endless. But lions are adaptive, like Livingstone they can use the natural refuges available to them to remain hidden during the daytime and forage what they can during the night. More lions will be killed during the land invasions but I remain positive that enough will survive to repopulate Laikipia again after the vast community herds leave, the rains come, the grass grows, and the wildlife recovers. The bigger challenge is how will wildlife and people survive the next storm, with growing herds of livestock and climate change? What will northern Kenya look like from the lion’s perspective 10 years from now? Today I received another WhatsApp message from Thomas containing more pictures of the dead lion and other shot and speared animals. “Save these on your computer” his message read “to remember a year of drought and killing innocent wildlife”. I make a wish, ‘may it be only a year’. #laikipia #EwasoLions #lionlandscapes #Pridelionalliance #laikipialandinvasions

With our partners Ewaso Lions and the University of California Santa Cruz, and with a great deal of help from Lewa Conservancy and surrounding communities, we have just deployed another GPS accelerometer collar, this time on an adult male called Chalisa. Chalisa left the relative security of Buffalo Springs reserve (Samburu) in 2013 and has since been moving through the community lands of Samburu and Laikipia. Nobody knew where he had gone or what had happened to him until he recently reappeared in Lewa Conservancy. He was identified from photographs by the Ewaso Lions team, who had known him as a youngster in Buffalo Springs Reserve. His mother, Jabdu, is still alive and living in the reserve. Chalisa is at the other end of his dispersal period to Livingstone, but his arrival in Lewa demonstrates that there is still a level of connectivity for lions between Laikipia and Samburu, and hope for lions like Livingstone who may soon attempt a similar journey. His reappearance has caused a great deal of excitement. He now wears a collar because there are reports that he has killed livestock during his time in the communities, and the collar will allow all collaborators to keep tabs on his movements, and respond quickly to any conflicts between him and local communities. Chalisa means ‘Polite’ in the Borana language and so we hope he lives up to his name when visiting the communities. #collaringlions #EwasoLions #UniversityofCaliforniaSantaCruz #lewaconservancy #BuffaloSpringsreserve