For this year’s Giving Tuesday, we hope you will consider donating to the Lion Guardians, who work towards the coexistence of people and wildlife in the Amboseli area. Several of my guests have supported the individual Lion Guardians working on the ground in and around Kitirua Conservancy, our private safari area next to Amboseli National Park. Metito, Laen, and now Lankoi are local Maasai warriors turned guardians of the lions in this critical corridor for wildlife at the base of Kilimanjaro. There are many ways to help the Lion Guardians, all of which are detailed on their excellent website:

It’s 2am and from my bedroom here in my Mara home I hear the lion roaring. There is no other sound that evokes such a primeval sense within us; a reminder that this is an animal for whom primates are on the menu. Having spent countless hours over the past 25 years watching these apex predators, I now imagine this one, patrolling his or her territory in the African darkness, and feel privileged to live here where the wild things still roam free.

There is something about “Simba”, the largest of our big cats, that mesmerizes us. Ever since humans could record their feelings, lions have featured in our art, as evidenced by the life-size cave lions drawn in the 28,000 year old paintings at Grotte Chauvetin in France (https://www.ancient.eu/Chauvet_Cave/).

Today, we photograph, study, listen to, and watch these magnificent beasts; the fascination continues no matter where we are. Last month, in the heart of New York City and far from our home in Kenya, we took Ollie and Halina to see The Lion King on Broadway and at the movie theater. The artistry and storytelling inspired by our feared and revered feline friends are truly things to wonder at – although we still think the hyenas got a raw deal!

Over the years, I’ve been so privileged to share the joy of my guests when they see their first wild lion. Of all the places in lion country, the Masai Mara in particular is perhaps the ultimate location for spending time with lions. In Amboseli, as the local lion population has increased over the past decade, we’ve also had outstanding experiences in our private conservancy there, Kitirua. This lion recovery has been aided significantly by the fantastic conservation work being done by our friends at the Lion Guardians program. Recently, several of my safaris have had the special opportunity to visit the Lion Guardians camp in Amboseli and get some insights into how this unique and dynamic project operates. You can learn more about their work here (http://lionguardians.org).

My own safari work, as well as Steph’s carnivore research, have enabled me to learn so much about lions and the immense challenges humans face living alongside lions in the 21st century living. Sharing ideas and discussing issues related to lion conservation can bring even more to the experience of seeing one of the most impressive wild animals on the planet, which in turn will help us conserve lions, and be inspired by them, for generations to come.

Photos by Max Melesi, taken on safari with me in June, 2019.

Elephants near Amboseli National Park, Kenya.

Two of Stephanie’s stories have recently been published, and both are about conservation issues in the Amboseli area. In February, “Can Mock Hunts Save Lions’ Lives,” about a unique method being used by the Lion Guardians program, appeared in Ensia magazine. You can read it here.

Earlier this month, Steph’s story about Nick Brandt’s art and the creation of the Big Life Foundation was published in a new Scandinavian magazine called The Collection. It is not yet available online, but you can access the pdf here: Hope for Big Life in East Africa

I am proud to work with both of these organizations through my position at the Kenya Wildlife Trust, and I hope you enjoy reading about some of the conservation solutions in action in one of our favorite safari destinations.

Stephanie collects data on lion numbers in the Masai Mara in 2005.

Stephanie is one of more than 50 authors of a scientific paper on lion conservation that is published today in the journal Ecology Letters. “Conserving large carnivores: dollars and fence,” includes lion count data from more than 40 sites across Africa and analyses to test what management options will work best to conserve lions. Stephanie has also written a guest blog post about the paper for Scientific American, “From whisker spots to paradigm shifts: how to save the lions.” Have a look and let us know what you think. I’ll certainly be discussing the issues raised in the paper this week as I guide my guests on a safari through Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti – hopefully while we are enjoying observing some of the lions that were counted for the paper!

During December we spent time on safari in both Shaba and Buffalo Springs National Reserves. Located in northern Kenya along the Ewaso Ngiro River, green and full of wild flowers from recent rains and flooding, the parks can only be described as exquisite gems right now. The river is the lifeblood of this part of Samburuland, and the namesake of the area’s lion research and conservation project: the innovative, non-profit Ewaso Lions, piloted by Shivani Bhalla and Paul Thomson. We were fortunate to have Shivani and Paul over for lunch in camp one day – and to have their help finding the pride of nine lions currently inhabiting Buffalo Springs! The lions are doing well inside the protected areas, but threats to the population continue to be present on the edges and out in the community lands.

We help support Ewaso Lions and their efforts to address the threats to the lion population’s success through the Kenya Wildlife Trust. Visit the KWT website here to learn more about how you can join us in supporting the project. You can also visit the Ewaso Lions website directly here or get their latest field report here.

Here are some photos from Shaba:

The Ewaso Ngiro River in Shaba National Reserve, Kenya

Picnic breakfast by the river

2012 family portrait on Shaba termite mound

Vulturine guineafowl

The endangered Grevy’s zebra – found only in Kenya and Ethiopia

– Amboseli, Kenya.

We are thrilled to share some good news – the arrival of 6 new lion cubs to the Kitirua Conservancy! We found these little guys and four lionesses hanging out near the Kitirua Hill on the border of Amboseli National Park. About 2 months old, and probably from two litters, these cubs represent the next generation of lions in the area. Their pride territory includes part of the park, the conservancy, and additional bits of the Maasai group ranches. According to our friends at Lion Guardians, who are monitoring the lions in the ecosystem, there has been quite a cub boom over the last 6 months. If most of the cubs survive to adulthood we could see a doubling of the lion population over the next two to three years!

Unfortunately, two of the lionesses in this pride have been killing livestock recently, and retaliation by the local Maasai community is a big threat to the survival of not just the cubs but the pride as a whole. We are very grateful to Lion Guardians for keeping track of the conflicts and lions in the area, and are supporting their efforts to conserve the lions and minimize conflict. Our guests have been fortunate to spend quite a bit of time with our local Lion Guardian, Metito, and Steph will soon write about a morning she and the kids spent with Metito, 4 lions, and 13 hyenas!

We will post updates when we see the cubs again, hopefully on our next visit to the area in September.

-Nairobi, Kenya.

The Kenya Wildlife Trust has just posted their July newsletter on their website. I serve as chairman of the Board of Trustees at KWT, and many of my guests have contributed to wildlife conservation and education projects through the trust in recent years. Right now I am particularly focused on raising desperately needed funds for higher education scholarships and carnivore research and conservation. This safari season we have already been out tracking Amboseli’s lions with the Lion Guardians and have had a wonderful ‘hyena talk’ from the Mara Hyena Project researchers. Enjoy the newsletter and please consider supporting some of the current projects!