Retaliation is the primary reason people kill this big cat. We work with communities to help them realize the big cat’s value and to help them protect their families and livestock from carnivore predation. In Ruaha National Park, where 10 percent of the world’s remaining lion population can be found, AWF’s Ruaha Carnivore Project is fostering a much-needed shift in the local opinion of carnivores.

Since 2012, AWF has been working with Ruaha’s communities to build livestock enclosures to protect livestock from predation, and, in turn, protect big cats and other carnivores from conflict with humans. In addition, Ruaha Carnivore Project provides community benefits to villages that demonstrate success in living peacefully with carnivores.

African Wildlife Foundation’s researchers are working to gain an understanding of carnivores’ populations, behaviors, movements, and interactions with people in order to develop appropriate conservation actions. Since 2002, our Large Carnivore Research Project has undertaken research aimed at ensuring the continued survival of large predators living around Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

There are few regions as important to the viability of lion populations as the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem. Halting the decline of lion populations in this region is imperative to the long-term success of the species. The African Wildlife Foundation partners with the Tarangire Lion Research Initiative to compile data from the local lion population. This data helps us better understand the demographic composition of lions in the landscape and pinpoint areas of potential threat to the species. To mitigate human-lion conflict, AWF has designed and constructed predator-proof enclosures for herdsmen to protect their cattle from lion attacks and hosts ongoing education and awareness programs to inform the community about safeguarding their livestock. As a result of AWF and community efforts, there has not been a single retaliatory killing in the landscape since March 2018.

With the continental population decreasing and threats continuing to mount, it’s become more important than ever to closely track this species. In Tanzania’s Manyara Ranch, AWF tagged the lions with high-tech collars equipped with radio transmitters to track the animals’ natural movements. This allows scientists and conservationists to monitor for potential disease outbreaks, home range, productivity, behavior, habitat use, survival, predator-prey interactions, and ultimately population estimates.