Conservation Update - Lion Hunt Stopped

Today's news is about one of the scariest parts of MWCT's Conservation Program - but also one of its most important.  The traditional response to livestock predation of Maasai cattle and goats has been to hunt and kill the offending lion, hyena, or leopard.  With the introduction of our Wildlife Pays initiative, MWCT has sought to change this paradigm by partial compensation to herders for verified losses, thereby helping the Maasai to see these endangered predators as a potential source of income rather than a nuisance to be eliminated.

A Maasai zone elder speaks with the warriors, convincing them to abandon their lion hunt.

Two weeks ago our system was tested to the extreme, as a pride of seven lions killed a big bull owned by a Maasai.  He was understandably very upset, as he had planned to sell the bull at market the following weekend to help pay for his sick child's treatment.  News quickly spread, and a group of 26 morani, or Maasai warriors, gathered with dogs and spears to track and kill the lions.

Luckily we also heard the news, and our Wildlife Pays verifying officer traveled to the scene as quickly as he could to attempt to calm them.  Finding the warriors nearly in a frenzy, he called for backup and we sent several MWCT Rangers, our community outreach area, and the Maasai zone elder of that region.  After a long discussion and much careful pacification on the part of our employees, the warriors were finally convinced to discontinue their hunt and dispersed.

After a long meeting and much convincing, the warriors agreed to disperse and the situation was resolved amicably.

The whole incident, while scary and regrettable, was nonetheless a great success for MWCT's Conservation Program.  It marked the seventh time this year we have been able to successfully stop a lion hunt before a kill was made, compared to just one successful hunt as a result of livestock predation.  Considering that this year was expected to be a particularly volatile one, with many young warriors being initiated, these numbers are a great success.  With your continued support, we can continue our work through projects like these, preserving the heritage of both the wildlife and the Maasai.