Panthera Leo

The most challenging conflict between humans and large carnivores involves the African lion. There are no wildlife ecosystems that are completely fenced in Africa. Lions attack thousands of livestock throughout the continent, and over a hundred people are killed by lions in southern Tanzania, and northern Mozambique every year.

There are less than 50,000 lions remaining in Africa. A quarter of them are found in four large, well-protected ecosystems: Serengeti, Okavango/Chobe, Selous, and Kruger. The rest of the population are exposed to varying levels of human contact and may not survive until the next century without intensive mitigation.

Recent studies in eastern and southern Africa have shown three consistent patterns:

1. Humans directly retaliate against lions for killing livestock – poisons are widely used.
2. Traditional practices of livestock husbandry reduce but do not eliminate the risk of lion attacks.
3. Far fewer livestock are lost to lions than to disease or drought.

These findings suggest that human-lion conflict might be managed to produce an acceptable level of risk to local communities.

 However, it’s clearly urgent to identify effective, low-cost mediation strategies to help people and to ensure conservation.

 
Mitigation Strategies for Human-Lion Conflict in Kenya
We recently helped a large community in the Rift Valley of Laikipia County, Kenya, address and mitigate lion conflicts – after an injured lioness attacked livestock and fatally mauled a woman.  

I support Little Blue Society's efforts to safely and efffectively deal with human-lion conflicts, and to promote conservation of the African Lion.