full report - Saving Big Cats and Wild Dogs

Ruaha Carnivore Project Progress Report – April 2013GENERAL NEWSFive Barabaig Warriors become the first Ruaha Lion GuardiansThanks to a grant from Panthera, and through close partnership with the Lion Guardiansorganisation in Kenya, five young Barabaig warriors have been hired as RCP’s first LionGuardians. As Lion Guardians, the warriors help protect lions in human-dominated areas bycollecting data on lions, warning people of lions’ presence in grazing areas, helping villagersrepair livestock enclosures, locating lost livestock (and children) and working with otherwarriors in the community to prevent lion hunts.The Barabaig are responsible for the majority of the Ruaha area’s lion killings, both inretaliation for livestock depredation and as part of their coming-of-age rituals. They are anintensely secretive group who typically do not mix with outsiders, and earning their trusttook RCP staff almost two years. But since agreeing to become part of the Lion Guardiansprogramme, which originated in Kenya with the Maasai, there has been a striking decline inlion killings in the core study area. This is particularly impressive as convincing a Barabaigwarrior to renounce lion killing is no small feat — some of the Barabaig Lion Guardiansreported participating in more than 90 lion hunts before becoming Guardians!Our Lion Guardians team (from left to right): Gwagi Gaga, Daremu Philipo, StephanoAsecheka (ccordinator), Ema Kwashema, Mandela Dudmeka and Daudi KinyokaThe Barabaig’s commitment was sorely tested in February, when almost nightly attacks onBarabaig bomas caused more than a dozen livestock deaths. The Lion Guardians and RCPstaff worked day and night — even staying at vulnerable bomas overnight — to help preventattacks and retaliatory lion hunts. The Lion Guardians intercepted one hunt and convincedthe warriors to turn back, and eventually the attacks stopped without any lions being killed.We look forward to reporting on more successes as the programme grows.Page 3