Lion Guardians

The Lion Guardians program, a non-profit organisation based in Maasailand, Kenya, was started in November 2006 in response to the slaughtering of over 150 lions in the area since 2001. We are now in our fifth year and cover most of the Amboseli region. We started with 10 Lion Guardians covering the 1,200 km² of Mbirikani Group Ranch (MGR) and have expanded to 29 Lion Guardians covering 3,500 km² on MGR, Eselenkei Group Ranch (EGR) and Olgulului Group Ranch (OGR). In 2010 alone, Lion Guardians stopped 44 lion hunting parties by either dissuading angry warriors or by requesting further assistance from the local game scouts or the Kenya Wildlife Service. Since the inception of the Lion Guardians, there have been over 58 lions killed in neighboring areas where there was no active Lion Guardian program, while only two lions were killed (for local political reasons) in Lion Guardian areas during this same period.

Spearing by Maasai warriors (murrans) is the greatest threat to the survival of lions in Kenyan Maasailand today. The Lion Guardians program attempts to reduce the pressure on lions by employing their greatest enemy – the Maasai warriors, to conserve them rather than kill them.

This successful program is entirely dependent on your donations in order to continue running.

For more information on the Lion Guardians and Living With Lions read our blogs
http://lionguardians.wildlifedirect.org
http://marapredatorproject.blogspot.com

and visit our websites:
www.livingwithlions.org
http://www.lionguardians.org

1. To conserve the remaining wild lions of Maasailand, Kenya

2. To reduce conflict between people and carnivores

3. To provide employment for local Maasai warriors in the field of conservation

4. To create environmental stewards and leaders in communities (role models for children)