November 2023 – Ewaso Lions

Our Lion Kids Camps – How Do We Know They Work?

How do we know we are having a positive impact on the children that attend our Lion Kids Camps? To evaluate the impact of each of our camps, all attendees complete a pre-camp and a post-camp quiz. The quizzes contain a series of multi-choice questions aimed at assessing changes in attitudes and knowledge. We also conduct a short pre-camp and post-camp questionnaire containing open ended questions. Our education team are highly skilled at conducting the quizzes and questionnaires.

Our Lion Kids Camp team who conduct all evaluations (c) Lucy Maina

To date we have held 35 Lion Kids Camps with almost 1000 children from across 4 counties in northern Kenya. Some of the highlights of our latest Camp held in October 2023 include:

– 96% of the children who attended went on their first ever safari
– The average number of threats that lions face that the children stated post-camp compared to pre-camp increased from 2.3 to 6.6
– 77% of the children said that it was possible for their community to live alongside carnivores peacefully, compared to 58% before the camp
– Before the camp, 76% of children considered themselves as responsible for protecting their livestock from predation. Following the camp, this increased to 100%
– 96% of the children would like to learn more about wildlife and conservation following the camp.

For the full impact report of our last Lion Kids Camp in October 2023, click here. We thank Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Kampur Safaris for their support in this year’s Camps.

For more information on our Lion Kids Camps, click here.

To help us hold a Lion Kids Camp and increase the impact we are having, click here to make a donation. Each Lion Kids Camp costs us $2500. Thank you so much!

From Solitary Lions to Prides

For over a decade we have been mainly observing solitary lions (check out this article written on the solitary lions of Samburu). Since 2022, we have noticed a transformation and we now have a number of prides!

Nanai’s Pride

This year we have had extraordinary sightings of the Kalama pride – including 2 young cubs. In September, we watched the cubs play, Neiyo the mother hunt, and Ldere and the younger male rest under an Acacia tree. We also have a pride in Shaba, Nanai’s pride and Naramat’s pride.

Ldere in the Kalama Pride

Neiyo’s little cubs

We suspect that the formation of prides in recent times has partially been as a result of last year’s drought and the lions were squeezed in to smaller areas. Large prey was also plentiful and were easier to access, and there was no need to compete for smaller prey. Nanai’s pride in particular comprises a number of sub-adults, who are all supporting each other to adulthood. This is an interesting time for the lion population and our team are all keenly recording the changes!

From Drought to Floods

After 3 years of drought, we finally received some rain in March and April. It was such a relief to see the landscape recover. Mid year we started hearing about El Nino and the upcoming rainy season where we would receive much more rain than usual. These rains began in October and have continued through November.

On the 2nd of November, the Ewaso Nyiro burst its banks, all the dry river beds (luggas) flowed heavily, dams burst and it rained all day. Our communities were heavily impacted and many were forced to flee from their homes at night as roads became rivers and houses were submerged. A few days later, we were able to provide food support for 60 of the most affected families in Learata villages.

Community members from Learata walk on the main road in search for help

Learata village flooded on 2nd November

Food relief arrives for Learata community

60 households receive food support following the floods

Since then, the rains have continued but at a much gentler pace. It has been harder to locate the lions in the rains however our teams continue to remain vigilant and patrol areas that are passable. This tends to be a harder time for lions and other carnivores as prey disperse away from the river and are much more energetic. But for now, we are enjoying all the wildlife sightings in this special green landscape.

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