Wildlife and People:
Conflict & Conservation in Masai Mara, Kenya

Large Carnivores

The Masai Mara is rightly famous for its large carnivores, many of which are featured in the BBC series Big Cat Diary. They are one of the major attractions for the hundreds of thousands of international visitors to the area each year. However, living with lions and other predators can be difficult and dangerous for local Maasai communities.

Each year predators such as leopards, lions and hyaenas kill and injure many cattle, sheep and goats. As a result, predators are persecuted and vulnerable species such as cheetah may suffer.

Our latest work is exploring human-carnivore conflict and ways of mitigating the problem.

We have found that, close to the Reserve, lions do prey on livestock. However, further from the Reserve the main culprits are leopard and hyena, that will even enter livestock bomas at night to gain access to easy meals. Communities often clamour for Kenya Wildlife Service to kill or remove the offending predator, and large cage traps are commonly used to capture and translocate leopards. However, it can be difficult to identify particular problem animals, and removing one does not necessarily remove the problem.

Often it is the case that livestock owners themselves can reduce their losses to predators by taking more effective measures to guard their herds by day and by constructing more effective bomas for security at night. However, predators are still frequently killed in retribution for conflict.

We are working to raise awareness and understanding of carnivores and their conservation, and to find ways for communities to benefit from their presence through tourism or employment as wildlife scouts.

We are focusing particularly on the endangered African Wild Dog Lycaon pictus that is making a comeback in the Mara ecosystem.