There is a special kind of joy in checking a camera trap and finding something wonderful and unexpected amongst thousands of images.

And recently we were treated to a thrilling sight: two lionesses trailed by six cubs at one of the waterholes in the Chyulu Hills.

As the dry season takes hold, wildlife increasingly relies on waterholes to survive, and camera traps help us to unobtrusively monitor these populations as they navigate tough periods.

The status of lions in the Greater Amboseli Ecosystem is of special importance given its history. Twenty years ago lions were on the brink of extinction here, their numbers diminished by traditional hunting and retaliation for livestock losses. Today, the population is approximately 250, a seven-fold increase that has been monitored by our partners at Lion Guardians.

Big Life’s predator protection programs have played a central role in this success, including our Predator Compensation Fund, which reduces retaliatory killing, as well as the Maasai Oympics, which is helping to shift culture from lion killing to conservation.

It’s also thanks to our partners in the field, who are working just as hard to protect Amboseli’s lions as we are.

And most importantly, it’s thanks to you, our donors. You make our work possible, and by doing that you are creating a safer world for these little lions to grow up in.