The last lions of the Boteti
Fire raising creates space for humans and destroys the habitats of the African lions.
Botswana's Makgadikgadi Pans National Park is home to less than 60 lions. The population near the Boteti River is one of the most threatened in the whole of Africa which means that the lions of the Boteti could soon be extinct. But it's not too late! SAVE and its local research team fight for the survival of the last lions of the Boteti.
Deadly conflict along the fence
The situation at the Boteti is the same as in almost any other place with free roaming lions left in the wild. Although the big cats live in the safety of the fenced Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, there are many cattle farms along the park boundaries and the fence that is supposed to separate farmland and the national park is full of holes. In search of prey the big cats cross through the holes and move onto farmland. For the poorest of the farmers a dead cow can result in an existential crisis. Some of them see no other option than shooting the lion. Thus, lion numbers along the Boteti decline from day to day. If no solution is found for this deadly conflict, lions will soon disappear completely from this area.
SAVE Magkadikgadi Lion Monitoring Project
A research program to save the last lions
Our research project is coordinated by the experienced lion research team CKGR, under Dr. Glyn Maude, and is special in the Magkadikgadi Pans: SAVE supports the young PhD student Keitumetse Ngaka, a passionate lion researcher, who also has became a lion ambassador for his countrymen. Within a short period of time he has already lost two of his collared lions. more
Sad reality: Two lions dead in one night:
Keitumetse was worried when he could no longer hear the beep sound of the radio collars. The Botswana lion researcher was tracking a pride for many months, followed them by day and night, in scorching heat and freezing temperatures. Days later, the researcher had proof: Two of his lions were shot.
The lion research along the Boteti has several objectives: The vulnerable lion population will be closely monitored in the near future. This requires more animals to be equipped with a GPS transmitter, preferably two "key-members" per pride.
Such a real-time monitoring is the only way to find out more about the hunting habits of lions in order to take immediate actions. The future goal is to promptly inform the Botswana National Park Authority as soon as a lion is approaching a farm. If necessary, the animal will then be caught and returned to the park.
It’s time to act
It's not too late for the last lions of the Boteti
The young lion researcher Keitumetse, who writes his thesis in biology on the lions of the Boteti, fights for the animals like no one else. His ideals are shared with many local people, who think differently about wildlife conservation nowadays. The farmers are getting tired of picking up their guns, as did their fathers and grandfathers.
The lion researcher puts great hope in his people: He will talk to the farmers, educate them about lions and work closely together with them in order to find solutions. An important first step will be to teach them about the value and vulnerability of the last lions. But he will also provide practical support by helping farmers who seek governmental compensation payments for each cow lost to predators. To determine which farms are affected, the lion researcher has to find holes in the 280 km fence. This means many days of studying maps, searching for people and talking to farmers.
SAVE has been supporting the lion research at the Boteti and is urgently seeking further funding. Every small donation helps the lions of the Boteti to survive.
Or support the education of dedicated Keitumetse and cover the costs of his studies.
