In the new wildlife adventure, The Last Lions, filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert follow the epic journey of a lioness named Ma di Tau (“Mother of Lions”) as she battles to protect her cubs against a daunting onslaught of enemies in order to ensure their survival.
The gripping real-life saga unfolds inside a stark reality: Lions are vanishing from the wild. In the last 50 years, lion populations have plummeted from 450,000 to as few as 20,000. The Jouberts weave their dramatic storytelling and breathtaking, up-close footage around a resonating question: Are Ma di Tau and her young to be among the last lions? Or will we as humans, having seen how tough, courageous and poignant their lives in the wild are, be moved to make a difference?
So, what will you do?
Here are three simple things you can do to help lions:
Until recently scientists believed there were 100-200,000 lions living in Africa, but a recent survey has found that the number has dropped dramatically to approximately 23,000 and most of these are living in protected National Parks. Howeve, outside these areas and even some from within, lions are being killed at an alarming rate. Unless urgent action is taken, they may be completely wiped out.
Living with Lions is a research and conservation group that works to save the remaining wild lions and other predators outside protected areas in Kenya. The organization currently has five projects: Lion Guardians, Mara Predator Project, Laikipia Predator Project, Amboseli Predator Project and the Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project. The Lion Guardians program was created in response to the slaughtering of over 200 lions in the Amboseli-Tsavo Ecosystem since 2001. The group monitors lions, educates communities, and provides tools to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. The Laikipia and Amboseli Predator projects study the threats posed to lions outside protected areas and uses this information to develop practical measures that encourage coexistence between people, livestock and predators.
The Mara Predator Project (MPP) is monitoring the lions in this area, identifying key trends and shifts in population, and building an online database of individual lions so that effective conservation methods can be applied. Lastly, the Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project (KLCP) was established in early 2004 to try to use some of the lessons learned in Laikipia to halt the massacre of these big cats in an area of Maasailand between the Chyulu Hills, Tsavo and Amboseli National Parks in southern Kenya.
Living With Lions is lead by Dr. Lawrence G. Frank and his outstanding team of project biologists and coordinators. To learn more, click here.
The eyes of the lion are larger than comparable-sized animals. Their round pupils seek out prey across the savannah. Lions hunt primarily in the early evening, dawn, or at night with eyes that are well adapted for use in low light. Lions (and all cats) have a high concentration of sensitive cells in the eye, called ‘rods’, which increase their ability to see in the dark by absorbing as much light as possible. A structured layer of tissue at the back of the eye, called the ‘tapetum lucidum’, reflects the light back onto the retina, utilizing whatever small amount of light available and giving cats (and other animals) increased night vision. The tapetum lucidum also gives animals the reflective “glow” that you see when you shine a light on them in the dark.
Even on dark nights with no moon, lions see well enough to hunt. When prey is sighted, the lions will sink down into cover and begin to stalk. Hiding among the tall grass, the lions will freeze and remain motionless when necessary. Visual cues are used to communicate with other pride members in the hunt, such as a small flick of the tail or a rustle in the grass. They then charge their prey, usually within a distance of ten meters, as they cannot run fast for long distances.
Please click here to see ALL of our Photo of the Day winners and for more information on the Bush Warriors Photo of the Day Contest, including how to enter. Enjoy the beauty of nature, just as it was intended to be!
Every lion has ‘whisker spots’. The whisker spots for the top row of whiskers differ between individuals and remains constant throughout their life. Researchers often use this unique pattern to identify individuals in a pride.
Male lions are 20-35% larger than females and 50% heavier. Some believe their mane makes them look bigger and protects him from bites and scratches when fighting with male for control of a pride. Researchers have also found that the size and coloration of the mane may serve as a sign of the male’s fitness to potential female mates. It seems the ladies prefer fuller and darker manes! Males’ large body size also means they eat more food. Male lions can eat up to 43 kilograms (94.6 pounds) in a day, while a female may eat over 25 kg (55 pounds).
Most lions drink water daily if it is available, but can go up to five days without. Those that live in arid areas appear to obtain the moisture they need from the stomach contents of their prey.
Water sources also offer a place to ambush prey because the pride is able to funnel potential victims into a smaller area. These locations are favored by prides, and they will maintain presence over them for generations if possible.
Lions are classified as ‘vulnerable‘ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Their numbers have been declining rapidly over the last few decades due to habitat loss, humans’ indiscriminate killing of lions, persecution from humans, and disease. Trophy hunting is also beginning to emerge as a considerable threat to their existence, particularly through altering sex and age ratios and shifting pride dynamics. Conservationists have warned that we could lose lions, an internationally recognized African icon, in as little as 20 years.
Remember: Tattoos are forever… and so is extinction. To see all of the FANTASTIC art featured on Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day, and to learn more about this initiative, please click here. You can also share photos of your own wildlife tattoos and enjoy others’ at our Facebook group, Bush Warriors Inked Nation for Conservation.
“Behind the snarl lies a cagey opportunist, proficient hunter, and dutiful parent.”
“Hyenas have an undeserved reputation as thieves and scavengers that subsist on the leavings of the larger predator. ‘But it is far more frequent that the lion will steal a kill from the hyenas,’ says Kay Holekamp of Michigan State University. Biologists have known this for decades, she laments, yet hyenas are still viewed as ‘slobbering, mangy, stupid poachers’ (not to mention goose-stepping fascists) in The Lion King, the movie that for many has defined the species.”
“Why do people grimace at the sight of them? With their patchy fur and odd proportions, maybe they flout our shallow standards for beauty in animals. ‘Our obsession with looks doesn’t take into account how well their bodies and brains are adapted to an ecosystem,’ says Anup Shah, who, with his brother, Manoj, photographed hyenas in Kenya, their homeland, and Tanzania.”
“Snarling in the face of certain death, a hyena cornered by lions in a Masai Mara bog has nowhere to run. Male lions seem to relish harassing and killing their smaller competitors.”
To read this wonderful article in full, click here.
Note: Please play this MUST SEE video and enjoy. This is what is at stake!
A year ago on November 13th, Bush Warriors was first launched into to the world. This was my attempt to put the truth out there of what is really going on with our world’s wildlife. Everyone loves nature and wildlife. We all love lions, tigers, bears and dolphins. We even love sharks, though we were taught to be afraid of them. Wildlife and nature is gaining more popularity than ever, everywhere you look “a green lifestyle” is the new trend. ‘Organic’ and ‘nature’ are buzz words surrounding corporate board rooms, the way we live, and the food we eat. It’s all about ‘going back to nature’.
The sad and unfortunate reality is that we are just about as far from nature as we can get. In fact, we, as humans, are getting further from it by the minute. Despite the growing popularity of the ‘green revolution’, species continue to be lost at unprecedented rates. The fight to save species is not small or easy. Many challenges block the path to success, including corruption, economics (both poverty and wealth), overconsumption of our natural resources, consumerist demand, and societal values.
Photo by Takeshi Igarashi
We live in a world where biodiversity is given due attention only when it is deemed profitable or there is some underlying financial interest in saving it. Some even say, “What is the point in spending well needed funds on animals we know will be extinct from their natural habitat in a generation or two?”
If we truly open our eyes to see what has happened to the world around us, we will not be able to live with ourselves and the destruction of our planet that we cause on a daily basis. Plastic bags that help us carry food from stores are killing our sea turtles, as they are being mistaken for jellyfish. Palm oil, as harmless as it sounds, is a real killer to many of our earth’s forests and all that inhabit them. Yet it is widely used to give our foods a longer shelf life, so that we may enjoy our microwave popcorn. The cost of palm oil is not just the cost of cheap, processed foods. It is also costing us majestic creatures, like orangutans. Valuable components of an ecosystem that also display many similar emotional and social behavior as us humans. Now they slip into the brink of extinction and are being used, abused and slaughtered, while their natural habitat is replaced by palm oil plantations.
Rhinos and elephants, animal icons that we love so much, are systematically being murdered for their horns and tusks. In fact is its estimated that 102 elephants are being killed a day. That is almost a kilometer (over half a mile) of dead elephants on a daily basis.
Photo Credit: Michael Nicols
Since 1997, 353 new species have been discovered in the Himalayas, 1,220 in the Amazon and 1,231 in the Mekong region. Our world has such a rich biodiversity, and yet, with all of our knowledge and growing understanding of how fragile our ecosystems are, we are losing species before they are even discovered.
We citizens of the world must unite in a unified global voice saying, “Enough is enough.” We must put a stop to the war taking place on our wildlife and natural world. If we don’t, it will be lost for good and we will also lose ourselves in the process.
We need your help is educating and spreading the word. Please join our growing Bush Warriors global tribe in spreading the message. We have created the Bush Warriors Ambassadors program that gives you tools for five second online advocacy. All you need to do is paste our blurbs and links on your Facebook, Myspace, email, or any other social platform, and you are done. By doing this you have become an ambassador for change.
We have already grown so much in our first year, and plan to push harder and reach more people in our coming years. Join us in our efforts and step up to be a voice for wildlife today!
Until recently scientists believed there were 100-200,000 lions living in Africa, but a recent survey has found that the number has dropped dramatically to approximately 23,000, and most of these are living in protected National Parks. But outside these parks lions are being killed at an alarming rate, and unless urgent action is taken, they may be completely wiped out from these unprotected areas.
Living with Lions is a research and conservation group, whose projects work in unprotected areas of Kenya to save the remaining wild lions and other predators outside National Parks. The organization currently has 5 projects; Lion Guardians, Mara Predator Project, Laikipia Predator Project, Amboseli Predator Project and the Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project. The Lion Guardians were created in response to the slaughtering of over 200 lions in the Amboseli-Tsavo Ecosystem since 2001, the group monitors lions, educates communities and provides initiatives to prevent human – wildlife conflict. The Laikipia and Amboseli Predator projects study the lions to find out what makes them vulnerable to extinction in an unprotected area, and how practical measures can be developed to encourage coexistence between people, livestock and predators.
The Mara Predator Project (MPP) is monitoring the lions in this area, identifying key trends and shifts in population, and building an online database of individual lions so that effective conservation methods can be applied. Lastly The Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project (KLCP) was established in early 2004 to try to use some of the lessons learnt in Laikipia to halt the massacre of lions in an area of Maasailand between the Chyulu Hills, Tsavo and Amboseli National Parks in southern Kenya.
Living With Lions is lead by Dr. Lawrence G. Frank and his team of project biologists and coordinators. To learn more, click here.
Last week we wrote to you about the threat faced by the predators of the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem and how MPT is working to alleviate this danger. The problem in short is that the dramatic falloff in the numbers of prey species — created by the recent severe drought — has led predators to target livestock more than ever, thereby increasing tensions within the community and fueling a heightened threat of retaliatory lion killing. However, thanks to the success of MPT’s Predator Compensation Fund and other Trust initiatives, we are happy to report a major positive shift towards conservation and tolerance within the communities covered . . . even in the face of this crisis.
EACH week, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has to rescue an elephant or lion from a wire snare.The snares, set up by poachers, are fixed on fences or trees to trap the animals.
Snared Elephant
Many animals are killed every year by wire snares that are not the target of the poachers, even animals that draw visitors to Africa like lions.
Photo Credit: Michael Nicols
Bush Warriors 