Donors – Ewaso Lions

Shivani_Bhalla_2023_Kenya_Whitley_Award_presented_by_HRH_The_Princess_Royal_GabrielBush

Receiving the Whitley Gold Award

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]

RECEIVING THE WHITLEY GOLD AWARD

We are thrilled to announce that Ewaso Lions was recognised with the prestigious Whitley Gold Award, presented by HRH Princess Anne at a spectacular ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London in April. Sir David Attenborough narrated a short video on Ewaso Lions, which can be watched here.

Seven of our team members took to the stage to address the 500-strong audience of supporters, donors and country Ambassadors to share in the power of community-led conservation, rounding out the milestone 30th Whitley Awards ceremony with a Samburu blessing for all conservationists worldwide. Our keynote speech can be watched here.

We are so honoured to receive this award that celebrates our community-led programmes and all our communities who live alongside wildlife in northern Kenya. Through the Gold Award 2-year project, we will be developing a community-led toolkit that can be applied anywhere around the world. It is separate to our day-to-day Ewaso Lions work but connected in an exciting way. Using our learnings and experiences from the past 15 years, and together with 25 global conservation leaders whom we will bring to Samburu, we will collectively develop this toolkit.

Here are some of our celebratory photos:

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Becoming a Wild Innovator for Wild Elements

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Today, I am thrilled to have become a Wild Innovator with the newly launched WILD ELEMENTS Foundation on behalf of Ewaso Lions. WILD ELEMENTS consists of three unique organizations accelerating conservation efforts and scaling global environmental change by protecting humankind, animalkind, and plantkind.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We are excited about this new journey and partnership, as WILD ELEMENTS shares our ethos of coexistence between people and wildlife, as well as our belief in empowering women to lead in conservation. Heeding the United Nations urgent call to action on fully implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), WILD ELEMENTS Foundation will invest at least $10 million by the 2030 SDGs deadline and prioritize funding for women-led and community-focused work that has the most impact.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7771″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7780″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Last November, the WILD ELEMENTS film crew spent several days in Samburu filming in preparation. Leaning into our values, Ewaso Lions took the opportunity to tell the story of the profile of a conservationist. As we consider what coexistence will look like in the future, we wanted the world to recognize that each member of the community, women, men and children alike can be – and are – conservationists.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7772″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7781″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I took time to speak about my perception of “wild landscapes” while growing up in city, not grasping that these spaces were stewarded by people. Munteli took everyone on a journey to the Mama Simba school in Sasaab village, where her passion for conservation begun, while Jeneria introduced the new warriors and elders, and their work with lions under our Warrior Watch programme. The team had a walk down memory lane as Shivani, Jeneria, Jeremiah and Francis reminisced about the beginnings of Ewaso Lions at the site of the old camp.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7773″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7782″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We also teamed up with the Grevy’s Zebra Trust where Sheila Funnel has been nominated as their Wild Innovator, to talk about the importance of keeping the landscape connected in the wake of mega infrastructure development.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”7738″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We are watching with growing excitement as the WILD ELEMENTS Foundation flips traditional philanthropy on its head and disrupts giving models in an effort to decolonise it. Of course, this fits in perfectly with all Ewaso Lions efforts to change the conservation narrative and widen the circle for a more inclusive conservation model to emerge.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7775″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7783″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Join Ewaso Lions in Samburu

Ewaso Lions Conservation Safari, Kenya
with Dr Shivani Bhalla
9 – 13 August 2018

A special opportunity to see first-hand a conservation programme in the field and to financially support the long-term survival of lions in Kenya.

9 August
Dinner and overnight at The House of Waine, a charming colonial manor house with eleven bedrooms in the residential district of Karen in Nairobi.

10 August
Transfer to Nairobi Wilson Airport for the flight to Samburu 1020 – 1120 hours. Transfer to our private bush camp in the Westgate Conservancy, which borders Samburu, and is where Ewaso Lions are based. Our mobile camp is semi-luxurious without being ostentatious and offers a real bush experience. Each tent is furnished with comfortable beds and lovely linens and has its own en-suite hot water shower, wash basin and WC. Dr Shivani Bhalla the founder and Executive Director of Ewaso Lions joins you for lunch.

In the afternoon visit the Ewaso Lions headquarters to meet some of the other members of the team and to learn about their field research, monitoring of lions and work with the local Samburu people, including Lion Kids Camps. This is a simple base camp where Shivani and her small team of dedicated lion conservationists live. There will be time to do a game drive looking for wildlife in the vicinity. Although outside the protected area of the Samburu Reserve, Westgate has the same ecosystem and so you may see ‘northern’ specialties including Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx and Somali ostrich, as well as lion, leopard and elephant. If you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of aardwolf. The day finishes with drinks own by the river and a delicious supper in camp.

11 & 12 August
The next two days will be spent understanding and experiencing the core essence of Ewaso Lions – putting people at the heart of lion conservation. This will include visiting a local Samburu village and Mama Simba school, a bush walk with some of the Warriors and a game drive in Samburu National Reserve.

The Samburu, like the Maasai, are nomadic herders and live in traditional dung and mud huts within a boma-enclosure. Their lives have changed little and each village has a chief and their wealth depends on the number of cattle, camels, sheep and goats they have. Visiting one of their villages will really help you understand their way of life and the importance of putting people at the heart of lion conservation.

Ewaso Lions started a Mama Simba and Warrior’s School utilizing local community schools at weekends. Now the ladies have made their own ‘bush school’, which we will visit. The women in the local communities are often overlooked and marginalised, so the bush school provides a valuable programme that educates and empowers Samburu women. You’ll see first-hand the Mama Simba ladies being taught new skills and crafts that can help them earn a living and change their lives. After circumcision young Samburu men become ‘Warriors’ and leave their villages to become men. They graze their cattle further afield and protect their cattle by killing lions. Ewaso Lions has changed this and has successfully created a peer-to-peer network of Samburu warriors who now serve as wildlife ambassadors and first responders to lion conflict.

Breakfast and dinners in camp. Picnic lunches.

13 August
Bid farewell to Shivani and the rest of team and fly back to Nairobi 1210-1315 hours. Lunch and dinner in Nairobi. There will be time to do some shopping this afternoon.

N.B. This safari is offered independently or as an extension to our Masai Mara Wildlife safari with Jackson Looseyia 4 – 9 August.

The safari is in partnership with Spencer Scott Travel Services Limited. Please contact Liz Drake on liz.drake@spencerscott.co.uk for more informaton including prices for the lion safari.

The Warriors Need You

On a dry and dusty night, the night sky of Kenya rises above Jeneria and his team of Samburu warriors on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River. They are relaxing after a hard day of tracking lions in their Landcruiser 4×4, collaring one, and checking on the health of two young cubs. Suddenly, the radio crackles with anger and panic. A lioness has killed a cow. The villagers are furious and heading out to kill her.

Jeneria, his fellow Warrior, Yesalai and others in the Warrior Watch team jump into the vehicle and head for the far away village. They are greeted by angry warriors who are ready to track the lion. As Jeneria tries to reason with them, shouts fill the arid landscape. Calmly, a few Ewaso Lions Warriors listen to the villagers’ story, and Jeneria assesses the strength of the cattle boma (livestock enclosure). The lion has taken a prime cow: money in the bank to her owner. The community is vengeful and fearful. The Warrior Watch team listens for hours. As the sun rises high, the team and the community discuss alternative solutions to killing the lion. The lioness lives. As the team returns to Ewaso Lions camp, victorious after saving another lion, and happy to have helped the villagers rebuild their cattle compounds stronger, Jeneria goes over plans for the next day: community meetings to attend, new areas to explore for lions, and a collared lion that needs tracking. There is no day off when saving lions.

This story is getting harder to achieve. The 4×4 vehicle that Jeneria and the other Warriors depend on is old. It breaks down frequently and cannot be relied on to get them to surrounding villages in a hurry. Even the daily work of tracking lions and exploring landscapes is proving difficult. More and more time is spent fixing the vehicle, rather than protecting the species they have dedicated their lives to save.

You can help them. Our goal to is raise $80,000—the amount needed to replace the vehicle and cover new collars and field costs for Warrior Watch—by the end of 2017. We hope you will help us reach this goal by supporting Ewaso Lions. The Warrior Watch programme is a formidable force in lion conservation in Samburu. The lions need the Warriors. And the Warriors need YOU.

Please DONATE today to help Ewaso Lions reach this goal.

Shivani & Jeneria Speak at Wildlife Conservation Expo

Shivani & Jeneria visited the US in October on their annual tour. Following a lovely visit with their friends and supporters in Newport, Rhode Island, they had the privilege of speaking at Goldman Sachs in New York, National Geographic and WWF in Washington DC.

They were very excited to attend the annual Wildlife Conservation Expo in San Francisco in October and for those of you that missed the talk, it can be watched here. This was Ewaso Lion’s 6th annual attendance at the Expo.

Thank you to all our friends and supporters in the US who looked after us, hosted and fed us, travelled with us and supported our conservation and research programmes in Samburu. We are very grateful!

Video: Our Expedition Up Mount Kenya for Lions

In January, we organised a team expedition up Mount Kenya. The five day trek was an unforgettable experience as we climbed to 3,985 meters (16,300 ft). In doing this, we were able to drew attention to the dramatic decline of lions in Africa, and we raised $20,000 for lion conservation.

We put together this fun video showing highlights from the expedition. Enjoy!

You Can Join Our Expedition – Become a Fundraiser

Our campaign is off to a great start towards raising $20,000 for lion conservation by climbing Mt Kenya in January.

We can’t reach the top alone.

You can join our expedition no matter where in the world you are by becoming a fundraiser or champion for our cause.

Top 5 easy ways to get involved:

1) Make a donation to the campaign: http://bit.ly/ClimbForLions

2) Set up a a crowd-funding page and tell your friends. The funds you raise will get directed into our campaign. It’s easy. Watch that meter climb to the goal!

3) Use our special graphics as your Facebook profile photo. These great images were made for us by one of our supporters — if you have your own creative ideas for contributing to the cause like this, let us know!

4) Buy a limited edition shirt, bag, or art print featuring awesome artwork by Kevin Halfhill. Every sale contributes to the campaign. https://animaliacollective.com/2016/11/15/ewaso-lions-face-crown

5) Use the hashtag #ClimbForLions on social media and help us spread the word that Kenya’s lions are in serious trouble unless we create safe spaces for them by working with local communities.

About the campaign

Safe Passage for Lions — As the human population soars, lions are running out of space and experiencing increased human-lion conflict over livestock. Ewaso Lions is focused on working with local communities to create areas where people and lions can coexist, by securing lion corridors whereby lions can continue to thrive without persecution. At the same time, we are helping local people and their livelihoods by reducing their livestock losses.

Our goal of $20,000 will support our work which includes:
• Warrior Watch: a network of Samburu warriors who prevent lion killings and promote lion tolerance across northern Kenya.
• Mama Simba: The “mothers of lions”, our women’s group educates and empowers Samburu women.
• Lion Kids Camp: A multi-day conservation education camp for Kenyan children that inspires a new generation of wildlife leaders.
• Lion Dispersal Research: Using high-tech GPS collars to track lion movements and identify the areas that are key to lion survival.

Video: Shivani and Jeneria at the Wildlife Expo in San Francisco

“We are losing lions all the time. There are 20,000 lions left in Africa. Less than 2,000 lions left in Kenya. Lions deserve better.”

These were some of the powerful words spoken by Shivani at the Wildlife Conservation Network Expo in San Francisco last month. Below you can watch the full presentation which includes a moving segment delivered by Jeneria.

Through the course of the talk, they describe the plight of lions not just in Kenya but across Africa, and the range of conservation programmes we use to empower local communities to protect the lions they live alongside.

We were so thankful to the hundreds of people who came to our talk and met with us throughout the Expo. We hope Shivani’s final message reaches people so that we can continue our mission to conserve Kenya’s lions. “Please support lion conservation on the ground, and give lions what they deserve: a future in Africa.”

Tickets for San Francisco Wildlife Expo On Sale Now

It’s that time of year again when we travel to San Francisco for the annual Wildlife Expo hosted by the Wildlife Conservation Network.

Saturday, October 8, 2016
10am–6pm
Mission Bay Conference Center, San Francisco, CA

We will give a talk at 10am and be present throughout the day at our table where we will have Kenyan crafts for sale.

Tickets go fast, so don’t miss out!

> Buy tickets online

> Read the full schedule including special guest speakers

Join Us On A Special Lion Safari – Book Now

Come on safari with us to see our work in the field and help support the long term survival of lions in northern Kenya.

21 June – 2 July, 2017

Have a truly unique, unforgettable safari. Celebrate our 10th Anniversary with us and the lions in Samburu.

You can help conserve lions in Kenya. Package price includes donation to Ewaso Lions.

Read the full itinerary here.

Contact safari@spencerscott.co.uk

Full itinerary available at http://www.spencerscotttravel.com/escorted-holidays/wildlife-photography/lion-conservation-safari-in-kenya/

1 2 3 … 5