Reporte 2010 de lions guardians

LION GUARDIANS ANNUAL REPORT 2010
Leela Hazzah – Director Stephanie Dolrenry – Biology Director
Kylie McQualter, Philip Briggs & Steven Ekwanga – Lion Biologists Elizabeth Carabine – Project Manager

Amy Howard – Media Manager

Luke Mamaai – Head Coordinator Eric Ole Kesoi – Community Liaison Officer Lenkai Nkiinti – Research Assistant

Photo by P. Briggs

Contents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.7. 8. 9. Executive Summary .................................. 1 Background................................................ 2 The Lion Guardians Mission .................... 3 Expansion to Southern Olgulului ............ 4 The Lion Guardians .................................. 6 Scientific Data Collection .......................... 8 Monitoring Lions....................................... 8 Conflict,Community and Coexistence .. 11 Lion Guardian Games and Awards ....... 13

10. The Changing of the Guard(ians).. ........ 14 11. Lion Guardians Blog and Media ............ 14 12. Looking Ahead… .................................... 15 13. Acknowledgements ................................ 16

Photo by S. Maclennan

Lion Guardians Annual Report 2010

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1. Executive Summary
The past yearhas been the most difficult, yet most rewarding year for the Lion Guardians program since its inception in January 2007. Recovering from one of the worst droughts in history, Maasai lost more than 65% of their livestock, and lion attacks on livestock increased eight-fold. As a result, lion hunting attempts increased dramatically and the Lion Guardians found themselves between the spears of theirangry brothers and the remaining lions. The Lion Guardians’ unwavering dedication, along with that of the other stakeholders in the ecosystem, ensured the continued survival of over 40 lions (more than half of the remaining population) that were hunted by Maasai in the Amboseli region. Unfortunately, during the same time in an area adjacent to the Tanzania border (without a Lion Guardiansprogram), at least 18 lions were killed by both spears and poison. After lengthy meetings with communities and leaders, we expanded the Lion Guardians project to this high conflict region in September 2010. From inception to date, we are thrilled to report that there has not been a single lion killed in the new expansion site. Currently there are 29 Lion Guardians protecting 3,500km² of vital lion habitatand attenuating conflict between their communities’ livestock and predators. The Lion Guardians have proven to be a critical part of the solution to eliminating retaliatory lion killings and providing a platform for Maasai warriors to apply their traditional knowledge and bush skills to big cat conservation. Our success is evident in the data. In 2010 alone, Lion Guardians stopped 44 lion huntingStephanie and some of the Guardians with Selenkay. Photo by P. Briggs parties by either dissuading angry warriors or by requesting further assistance from the local game scouts or the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Since the start of the program in 2007, there have been over 58 lions killed in neighbouring areas where there was no active Lion Guardian program, while only two lions were killed (forlocal political reasons) in Lion Guardian areas during the same period. Our New Year’s resolution for 2011 is to continue our commitment to saving Africa’s remaining lions by assisting other research projects and rural communities in creating practical conflict mitigation and lion monitoring systems that are both culturally appropriate and empowering to future generations.

Summary of LionGuardians Measures of Success - 2010
Minimum no. of lion hunts stopped by Lion Guardians* No. of adult lions monitored by Lion Guardians Percentage of found vs. lost livestock No. of bomas reinforced by Lion Guardians
*KWS and Maasailand Preservation Trust assisted us in preventing many hunts

44 55 88% = 5874/6708 296

Lion Guardians Annual Report 2010

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2. Background
For centuries,...