Our Blog – Page 6 – Ewaso Lions

Naramat Has 4 Cubs

Naramat and her cubs – a few weeks after they were born in Westgate

We are really excited to announce that Naramat gave birth to 4 cubs in Westgate. This is the 3rd time she has had cubs (in different areas), and also the 3rd time in the past 10 years that a lioness has given birth and successfully raised her cubs in this community area. This has not been easy – it has taken years of community engagement, meetings, wildlife safaris with community members, daily patrolling by our team of warriors and scouts, quick response to conflict incidents and round the clock lion monitoring. Most of the community in Westgate have now embraced lion conservation and everyone knows Naramat and her cubs.

Shivani Receives PhD From University of Oxford

We are very excited to announce that Founder & Executive Director of Ewaso Lions, Shivani Bhalla, received her PhD from the University of Oxford in July.

“This has been a long journey and I am very relieved to have finally completed my PhD (known as a DPhil at Oxford). This was only possible thanks to the enormous support I received from my family, friends and the Ewaso Lions team who gave me so much strength, space and time to finally wrap it up. My thesis focuses on lions in community areas and what they need in order to survive with people. The findings of my thesis have already helped lions in Samburu and will continue to do so. I dedicated it to Jeremy Lucas, who passed away a year ago and loved Samburu, its lions and people so much, and supported me immensely throughout the process.

I was thrilled to graduate in Oxford in July, with my family and Jeneria who represented the entire team. Thank you to everyone who supported me along the way. It is now finally official!”

Shivani graduates at Oxford in July

New Male Lions in Samburu – Photo credit Robbie Labanowski.

New Males Arrive in Samburu

We are excited to report that four new males (who have manes!) have arrived in Samburu. This is the first time since 2008 that we have had new lions here. When they arrived, Lguret, our old resident male crossed the river in to Buffalo Springs and has remained there mainly. Loeku, another young 3 year old male, also went to Buffalo Springs. The new males have been mainly seen in Samburu with the Koitogor Pride. Nabulu lost one of her cubs after the males killed it the day after they arrived. Infanticide is common when males take over a pride although it is the first time we have encountered this.

Since the males arrived, they have been mating with the pride females. We are excited about this recent event as it means the lion population will not only grow, but the new blood is a welcome boost to Samburu’s lions.

We are yet to confirm where the males have come from, so stay tuned! Here are some recent photos of Samburu’s newest arrivals.

Here is an update on the 4 new males in Samburu: Thanks to our partners at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Mary Mwololo and her research team confirmed that these 4 males originated from Lewa. They left Lewa in February and headed towards Ngare Ndare before moving to Borana and the Mukogodo Forest when they were last seen. Three lions were born in November 2013 to the same mother and 1 born in February 2014. And they have names – Brand, Bick, Mwack and Sakilenye

In January a new male lion had been seen for a few days but disappeared quickly. We are grateful to all the guides in Samburu who have kept a close eye on the males and keep us informed.

Human-Lion Conflict Increases During Drought in Samburu

Elephants cross the drying Ewaso Nyiro River in February

The Ewaso Nyiro River dried up in early January causing immense challenges for the wildlife, the local people and their livestock in the region. Wildlife and livestock congregated at small waterholes, and human-lion conflict increased during this time. Our team remained extra vigilant and responded quickly to conflict incidents. Carnivores stayed close to the river and were seen frequently -including lions, cheetahs, leopard and the endangered wild dogs.

Wildlife congregate at the waterholes in Samburu

Together with our partners, we dug waterholes in the dry river and set up camera traps at night to see which animals came to drink from them. In early April, some rain arrived and the normally dry river beds flowed for the first time in years. The Ewaso Nyiro River also started flowing which was a huge relief. The rains have been localised and in very low quantities. Much more is needed to allow the land to recover and the grass to grow.

Watch this video to see more:

Digging waterholes for wildlife

Chalisa Moves to Lewa

We are thrilled to report that a young male lion who we last saw in Buffalo Springs National Reserve in November 2013, has been sighted in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. The Lewa lion research team led by Mary Mwololo alerted us that a new male had appeared in Lewa in January and sent us photos. We looked through our lion database and through whisker spot identification, we confirmed that the male in Lewa was indeed Chalisa – the Buffalo Springs male.

Chalisa in Lewa in 2017 (Photo by Lewa)

Since he was found in Lewa, Chalisa has been collared as part of a wider dispersal study (with Lion Landscapes) across the landscape. We are keeping a close eye on him and grateful to work with our partners in Lewa, Lion Landscapes, and the local communities, to ensure continued movement of lions through this landscape.

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!

Will This Mystery Lion Be the Next Dominant Male?

A new unidentified male lion has appeared suddenly, bringing with him a potential change to the make-up of the lion population in our Samburu study area.

For the past three years, Lguret has been the dominant male in our Samburu study area. Since 2008, he and his brother Loirish held territory, mating with the females and siring dozens of cubs. When Loirish was killed in late 2013, it left only Lguret to defend the territory. And Lguret is already near the end of his prime – he is 11 years old; the average male begins to weaken around age 10.

Usually, younger and stronger males will enter an area and challenge the dominant male, but that hasn’t happened yet. This new mystery male brings a host of possibilities. Being younger and more fit than the aging and battle-scarred Lguret might mean he can easily take his spot at the top. If that happens, the new lion will bring in new genes to the population and possibly impact the pride dynamics.

So who is this new male? Is he one of the young males, like Lentim, who disappeared years ago? Is he entirely new to the area? If so, where did he come from? And if he challenges Lguret, what will happen to him?

Thanks to Michael Parker and Elephant Watch Camp for the photos.

Predator-Proof Boma Installed After Lion Attacks

The lion population on the Laikipia commercial ranches is an important source population of lions for the entire region. In the past two years, drought conditions in the wider area have led to some communities encroaching on private lands in the search of grass. This has resulted in increased human-lion conflict, as the lions on the ranches have encountered more livestock. Lions that had rarely or never killed livestock previously began killing them regularly, creating a propensity for killing livestock.

After the rains returned, community livestock herds returned to their traditional grazing grounds, yet the lions continued targeting commercial ranch livestock. This led to many of Laikipia’s lions being seen as ‘problem animals’, putting the lions at an increased risk of being killed by ranchers.

Laikipia ranchers have designed a new steel boma system, which is highly effective at protecting livestock from carnivores, as well as improving range management. We leveraged our good relations with ranchers to first try these new predator-proof bomas rather than having the ‘problem lions’ killed. We co-financed two new steel bomas on Loisaba Ranch, which was selected because it was being repeatedly attacked by lions and lost 5 cattle over the preceding 12 months.

Since the construction of the steel bomas, zero livestock have been killed by lions.

These new style of bomas are built of strong interlocking steel gates, so they are both light and portable, but also very strong. Livestock can be packed in (200 per boma), which deters lions from jumping inside.

The bomas are designed to be portable which means the grass management is better because they are moved to prevent overgrazing. They actually improve the condition of the grass because a short period of time exposed to a lot of cow dung and urea acts to fertilize the ground but does not destroy it. The boma is very durable and requires minimal maintenance, and does not require cutting of local trees or bush, like the traditional bomas do.

In short, these bomas protect cows, livelihoods, lions and the grassland. Anything tested and found to work in Laikpia could be adapted in other community areas, where livestock depredation by lions is a constant and on-going issue.

Lions have been shown to stop killing livestock when it proves to be too difficult. By replacing remaining weaker boma designs with steal bomas, thus making all bomas as lion-proof as possible, lions will hopefully again stop viewing livestock as a primary prey source. Should cattle loss be minimised, this measure could save a good number of lions from being killed, and these lions can live to disperse to other parts of northern Kenya to sustain viable populations.

The bomas were funded by National Geographic’s Build A Boma initiative and implemented in partnership with Lion Landscapes .

Introducing the Jeremy Lucas Education Fund

“Exactly 6 months ago today, on 28 July 2016, my husband Jeremy passed away. Jeremy was a lovely, kind man and part of his legacy was a sum of money with which I have set up an education fund in his name for children in Kenya.

Jeremy loved Kenya – we were going to move there in the near future. He especially loved Samburu – the land and the people – and was embraced by all the people he met there. Just as he had taken Samburu to his heart – the Samburu people had taken him to their hearts.

With the money I am particularly keen to give young people – mainly girls – a chance to further education. I believe that if you educate a girl, you educate future generations.

Jeremy was always surrounded by strong women. His mother was a resilient, determined woman, and his three children – all girls – have grown up to be strong women too. And then there is me and my sister Shivani. Both of us are independent, determined in our respective fields – and know our own minds. Jeremy liked that and celebrated strength in all the women he met.

The fund has been set up with the help of my sister through her conservation organisation in Samburu: Ewaso Lions.

I think Jeremy would approve of a fund set up in his name – predominantly to give girls a chance to grow, learn, achieve, succeed and be independent. It is a legacy that he would be proud of.”

– Shalini Bhalla (Shivani’s sister)

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Jeremy Lucas Education Fund

The Jeremy Lucas Education Fund is the new name and embodiment of the Ewaso Lions Scholarship Programme*. With the money raised through this fund, we will sponsor students from the Samburu region of northern Kenya to attend secondary school. The students will be selected on merit and one of the main sources will be graduates of the Lion Kids Camps.

In each intake, the main focus will be on sponsoring girls, giving them much needed education opportunities that they might otherwise not have access to. Each intake will also look at sponsoring one boy. An important part of the programme will be the regular monitoring of each student by Ewaso Lions Regional Coordinators, ensuring that they continuously achieve in their school work and are supported with any challenges that may arise. We will also ensure that the students receive relevant career advice and ongoing mentorship.

Introducing the First Intake – January 2017

On 28 January 2017 – to mark 6 months since Jeremy passed away – we launched the Jeremy Lucas Education Fund by announcing the first young people who have been awarded scholarships. Angeline, Veronica and Nicholas – all young teenagers – were unable to start secondary school at the beginning of January because they did not have the money to pay the school fees. These three young people were interviewed by the Ewaso Lions team and were chosen to be the first recipients for scholarships from the fund. The scholarship (£4,000 per child) will pay for secondary school fees, uniforms and books for the next four years. We are happy to announce that within a few days of being selected, the three youngsters have now been enrolled in schools and have already started their secondary school education.

Over the next few weeks we will introduce you to Angeline, Veronica and Nicholas – and also let you know how you too can support the education fund.

*About the Ewaso Lions Scholarship Programme

Ewaso Lions recognises the critical link between education and conservation. Tomorrow’s wildlife leaders must be equipped with a solid education today, empowering them to make informed choices to tackle the challenges facing Africa’s wildlife and people. Many students in this region finish primary school but lack the funds to attend secondary school.

Ewaso Lions is currently sponsoring five promising students to attend highly ranked secondary schools. Under the Ewaso Lions sponsorship, their tuition is covered for four full academic years. Our model also ensures that after the students complete secondary school, we work with the students to build up their careers.

To date, three students have completed secondary school under our programme. Samson continued with his education and was trained to become a wildlife artist. He now has set up his own art business and is able to support his family. Painoti was our second student who completed her education, and in 2017 will be attending Teachers College. Solomon Lenasalia recently completed his secondary school and will spend 2017 with Ewaso Lions developing his career and giving back to the community.

Our Rangers Capture Data on Lions and Livestock

Every day, our Ewaso Lions rangers put on their uniforms and head into the bush on patrol. The three rangers bring an important research element to our conservation work. By collecting baseline data and monitoring long term lion and wildlife population trends, we can measure the progress of our work and design new activities that ultimately promote lion conservation.

Rangers are trained on all aspects of wildlife conservation including conflict mitigation, carnivore ecology, the importance of carnivores, GPS tracking and more. Rangers monitor lion and wildlife movement, gather data on abundance and distribution, and serve as wildlife ambassadors by spreading the conservation message to their communities.

Meet the rangers
The Ewaso Lions rangers team consists of Francis Lendorop, Jeremiah Letoole, and Jackson Lenakae. All rangers reside in Westgate Conservancy in northern Kenya and have worked with Ewaso Lions since 2008. They have completed training at the Kenya Wildlife Service Manyani Field Training Centre to help with their field responsibilities and attend numerous trainings conducted by the Conservancy Warden of Westgate on security, radio protocol, and more.

On Foot With Lions

The rangers, on a monthly basis, conduct a total of 24 fixed transects (each 3 km long) distributed across Westgate Community Conservancy (400 km2). Along the transects, they record numbers/sightings of lions and other carnivores, ungulates, and livestock. From 2011 to 2014, the rangers surveyed the transects for a total of 2,750 days, with each spending an average of 172 days per year doing the transects. This is a huge effort in terms of monitoring carnivore and prey abundance and movement, and hugely complementary to the efforts of Westgate Conservancy.

Apart from the transect surveys, the rangers also do patrols within Westgate Community Conservancy on the days they are not conducting the transects. During patrols they record sightings of lions and other carnivores, livestock, and also incidences of human-wildlife conflict.

These data, altogether, help in estimating and monitoring wildlife and livestock abundance and also in measuring the health of the ecosystem.

Rising Livestock
Toby Otieno, Ewaso Lions Research Manager, recently analysed data collected by rangers from 2011 to 2014. We recorded a decline in both carnivore density and herbivore density in Westgate Conservancy from 2012 to 2014. Interestingly, as livestock numbers increased sharply between 2013 and 2014, we saw a decline in carnivores and herbivores at the same time. We will continue to explore the relationship between livestock and wildlife as we continue our ranger data collection and analysis.

Going Forward
The analysis revealed areas where our data collection can improve to increase accuracy and coverage. Looking ahead, we plan to digitize our rangers data collection and patrols through the use of a smartphone data collection app called CyberTracker and the data management app called SMART. These are tools that are designed for recording rangers and scouts’ patrols and data collection; including patrol efforts, wildlife sightings, conflict data and almost any other kind of ecological data.

1 … 4 5 6 7 8 … 40