Tunde FolawiyoLion conservation in Kenya | Tunde Folawiyo
Like many people, Tunde Folawiyo admires the lion – a creature often referred to as the king of the beasts. Unfortunately, in Africa, this animal is now classed as endangered. Its population numbers have dropped dramatically in recent years, with a particularly serious decline in Kenya, where it is estimated that there are just 2,000 left, with most residing in its nature reserves and parks.
Organisations like the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Centre for Lion Conservation & Research in Kenya are going to great lengths to protect the remaining prides which exist around this country. The latter is based in northern Kenya, in the district of Samburu, and takes a holistic approach to its work. It focuses not only on the impact of humans on lion populations, but also on the health of prides, the environment in which they live, and their hunting of livestock, as all of these factors have an effect on their population numbers.
This organisation spends most of its time on research, in the belief that by learning more about a lion’s biology and behaviour, they will be better equipped to develop effective conservation strategies. Since it was first established, the centre has helped to restore a number of lion habitats, raised awareness amongst the locals of the importance of protecting these animals, and reduced the amount of retribution hunts and poaching in northern parts of the country.
However, elsewhere in Kenya, lions are still hunted by humans; this is a fact likely to concern those who are passionate about conservation, like Tunde Folawiyo. One geographer named Mara Goldman, from the University of Colorado, carried out extensive research into why tribes like the Massai continue to kill lions. Generally speaking, it is done as a cultural rite of passage, or in retaliation against lions who consume their livestock. Whilst local conservation groups have been working with this particular tribe to reduce the number of killings, their efforts have been largely unsuccessful.
One programme which was set up recently, offered to compensate the Massai for the livestock lost to lions, but this strategy has not worked very well, as the frequency with which lions attack the Massai peoples’ cows and goats (on a daily basis, in many cases), coupled with the slowness of the financial compensation process, means that, without retaliation, the tribe will be left with fewer and fewer livestock. As such, they feel as if they have no other option than to hunt down the lions that kill their herds.
Leave a Reply