Kenya's Maasai tribesmen recruited as lion guardians
Thu, Nov 05 2009 at 1:15 PM EST
Photo: Reuters Once, the Maasai lived in harmony with the lions of Southern Kenya, keeping down their populations to protect game while also keeping the herds safe from other humans. Now, the government is recruiting members of that same tribe to help Africa’s lions survive plummeting population levels.
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Once tens of thousands strong, only 2,000 lions survive in Kenya. As “Lion Guardians”, Maasai tribe members use an electronic device to track around a dozen lions that have been trapped, collared and re-released.
But, when it comes to tracking uncollared lions, it’s the tribesmen’s traditional lion tracking skills that give them an edge over other would-be lion protectors.
“So what we are doing is we are employing warriors here to conserve the lions,” says Howard.
“They go out and track them and tell their communities where they are so they know not to herd there. So we’re tying to reduce the amount of conflict that we’re getting between the livestock and lions.”
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