We weren’t kitten when we said there has been an explosion of lion cubs across the Amboseli ecosystem; this young one is part of yet another growing pride.

High birth rates are not the only indicator of a healthy lion population. Equally important is survival throughout adulthood. We are proud that no lion has been killed in violation of our Predator Compensation Fund (PCF) so far this year. It hasn’t all been clear sailing; our rangers still had to prevent 3 retaliatory lion hunts.

These numbers mark a wider trend of tolerance towards predators that is paying off for the communities and wildlife that live here in Greater Amboseli. Tolerance comes at a cost of course. Since 2017, the annual average for PCF payments is $122,000.

Compensation alone is not enough to create lasting change, and that is why we started the Maasai Olympics in 2012 as an alternative for the traditional killing of lions. Back then, to have zero lions killed in violation of the Predator Compensation Fund in a calendar year would have been a celebration. 12 years on, and it has become the norm rather than the exception.

Just as these lion cubs will soon grow up and seek to prove themselves, we are excited to welcome the next generation of young Maasai who will seek to prove themselves when they compete against the current warrior generation in the upcoming Maasai Olympics on December 14.

📹: Joshua Clay

We know it’s a busy time of year, but we’re here to help! Big Life is proud to present our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide.

The following sustainable gift ideas are a wonderful way to share your love of wildlife with your friends and family. Each item directly supports Big Life’s mission, helping our rangers to protect wildlife and wild lands throughout the entire year. 

NICK BRANDT SIGNED BOOKS

Big Life also offers signed books by our co-founder, Nick Brandt, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Big Life. This includes Across the Ravaged Land, from his time in East Africa, as well as his newer work, The Day May Break. Personalized inscriptions, adding a unique and meaningful touch, are available.

Would you like to read something scary?

According to WWF’s recent “Living Planet Report,” the African continent has suffered a “catastrophic”  73% decline in the average size of its wildlife populations since 1970.

In the Greater Amboseli Ecosystem, the most glaring population decline has undoubtedly been that of the Eastern black rhinoceros. Today, any mention of Amboseli brings to mind vast herds of elephants, but it was actually rhinos which first attracted tourists to its white, dusty plains back in the 1950s and 60s.

Decades of poaching reduced Kenya’s rhino population from the tens of thousands to just 400 in the 1980s. Amboseli’s rhinos had disappeared by the 90s, but just 50 kms to the east, a small group of rhinos was hiding. Their presence was only discovered when rangers working for Big Life’s co-founder, Richard Bonham, found tracks deep in the lava forests of the Chyulu Hills.

Since then, Big Life has invested considerable resources towards protecting them. With 63 rangers across 10 outposts, this intense monitoring has ensured that no rhino has been poached in the area since 2016.

These efforts received an enormous boost thanks to the near miraculous birth of a Chyulu rhino calf last year, bringing the total population to 8, including the ghostly apparition of Dickson, seen here on a camera trap one recent misty morning. 

While Kenya’s black rhino population has dropped vertiginously, it is slowly emerging as a conservation success story. Current estimates put them at more than 1,000 across Kenya, and that is expected to double by 2040.

We hope to do our bit by reintroducing more rhinos to bolster this tiny Chyulu population in future. Maybe by 2040, Amboseli will once again welcome tourists to see its rhinos.

Now wouldn’t that be a treat?

We want to thank all those who support our rhino program, particularly the Kenya Wildlife Service, USFWS, and Chester Zoo as well as Royal African Safaris.

The short rains, called vuli, are imminent. Dark clouds are amassing on the horizon and although the rains have arrived elsewhere in Kenya, we’ve only had a smattering so far in Amboseli.

As always happens this time of year at the height of the dry season, with resources in short supply and fewer employment opportunities on local farms, bushmeat poaching and human-wildlife conflict have increased. These increases are expected, and assuming the rains arrive on time, will stay within the range of “normal” for our area of operation. That said, our rangers are working extraordinarily hard right now, and we thank you for your support in keeping them in the field.

Another notable update is the addition of two new tracker dogs to our team, who are currently undergoing extensive training: Holmes and Watson. We hear from their trainers that they’re a handful, as is to be expected with the breed (Belgian Malinois). The training can take up to a year or more, but we’re hoping to have them back and supporting Clyde with field operations as soon as possible.

Also, many of you have inquired about the status of the hunting situation in Tanzania, just across the border from us in the Enduimet Wildlife Management Area. As far as we know, both from our rangers operating in Enduimet and from other partners, no elephants have been killed by hunters in that area since June. What that means for the issuance of hunting licenses for the Amboseli-Kilimanjaro population remains to be seen. We do know that talks between Kenya and Tanzania are ongoing, and we remain optimistic for a positive resolution. We’ll let you know as soon as there’s a substantive update.

And lastly, I’d be remiss not to use this opportunity to eulogize on the late, great Tom Hill, whom I miss dearly. Tom was a staunch advocate for conservation in Amboseli for more than 25 years, particularly for lions through the Maasai Olympics and Predator Compensation Fund. He has left an indelible mark on this ecosystem. I will think of him every time a lion roars.

Richard Bonham
Co-Founder and Executive Chairman -
Big Life Kenya

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Photo: Jeremy Goss