As lion numbers increase, so do lion killings.

Mayenga, on the Left, in 2016 mating with gombo

This is a hard blog to write and it has taken some time to reflect on the recent lion killings that have occurred in our area- 7 that we know about within the last 4 months.  It started with the news that a farmer found an old lion collar in the grass next to Beetsha Village. Our staff immediately began making calls to find the person with the best information. He was hesitant to speak to us for fear of getting reported to the police or anti-poaching.  Eventually, he brought us to the collar. It was old and very warn,but had clearly been removed by a person and we knew from the size, location and age of the collar that it was likely one animal- Mayenga. Though the collar had long stopped sending GPS locations (it was deployed in 2018), the radio signal worked and we quickly confirmed our worst fear. Mayenga, the 11 year old matriach of the "Mayenga Pride" was no more.

maynega’s collar

The loss of Mayenga stung because she was the first lioness we collared in 2015. She was young, strong and raising 6 cubs with her mother, Mamalapo. She was the last remaining tie to the start of the program and even though her collar had stopped functioning, there was satisfaction in knowing that she was likely still out there. At 11, she was one of the older females, but still had some productive years ahead of her.

Mayenga's pride had not triggered an alert in years and had taken up residence well south of Beetsha Village, but unattended cattle would reach them and there was no deterrent for feeding on livestock well into the Delta.

In November we attempted to recollar Secharo. This prime female was first spotted in 2018 near Mapula lodge with her sister. They became well known to the safari operators because they were relaxed and fed almost exclusively on warthogs. The following year, we put a collar on her and managed to do extensive follows with the females at ease around vehicles. They attempted to raise several litters without success as the tenure of territorial males remained unstable and her cubs were often collateral damage in the power struggle.

collaring secharo’s sister 11 november 2022

Then things changed. Secharo and her sister had 5 cubs towards the end of 2021 and raised them successfully through the end of this year. Five cubs! These females had figured it out and the stability of territorial males, Muka Mokokore and his mate, provided the environment for them to thrive. From the west came the largest lion of them all- Zikwerwa's mate- who battled Muka over several weeks and eventually killed him.  Secharo and her sister saw the writing on the wall and fled east, as so many of our lioness' do, to avoid the inevitable confrontation with the new males. They were now refugees.

Secharo and her pride found themselves squeezed between Mayenga's Pride to the south and Beetsha Village to the north. There were few warthogs to eat, but many, many unattended cattle. They took the easy prey and started training their cubs to eat them. When we caught up with Secharo's pride to swap her collar, we found her to be uncharacteristically shy- clearly from a few hard lessons. Her sister, however, was relaxed, so we put a collar on her knowing that their pride had taken up residence in a hostile area. Good news was that all 5 cubs were still alive- though 3 were limping- and there were 3 other young adult females in the group. The pride of 2 with cubs was now 5 strong (10 with cubs). We had some tenuous optimism despite their current location and habits.

However, their luck became worse when we discovered 2 new males in the area that were clearly following the pride- either to mate with the young females or dispatch the cubs for greater mating opportunities. We collared the males to follow the situation closely. Secharo's sister and the new males were added to the Alert System and soon villagers were getting warnings.

Secharo’s sister found dead in a plowing field north of Beetsha early December 2022

The pride moved north of the villages to avoid the males and to give their cubs a fighting chance. With loads of livestock to eat, they settled in the crop fields north of Eretsha- killing 7 cows in a single day- angering the owners. We sent Pro Tomeletso, armed with fireworks to scare the lions away as part of our new Conflict Mitigation Patrol. It worked well as the lions ran from the scene but despite their initial movements to the south, they stopped and turned 180 degrees back to the north, again avoiding a certain confrontation with the males. They instead moved east towards Beetsha where Secharo, her sister and a previously unknown young male were gunned down.

The pride now is fractured and afraid without their leading, elder females.

We met with community members and leaders to discuss the issues with shooting lions. We engaged with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks to help with Problem Animal issues but it may be too late for this pride. We know there are possibly three females and the 5 cubs still killing cattle in the most hostile landscape. We will do everything we can for the best possible outcome.

Recently, the cattle farmers of Beetsha expressed desperation to start a Communal Herding Program. They have formed a grazing committee, assigned herders and pledged over 700 cattle to the program. If we can manage these cattle and reduce losses to Lions and disease while providing a better price for Wildlife Friendly cattle, we may have a chance of stopping the slaughter of cattle and Lions. Farmers in the program pledge not to harm lions to as part of their compliance to qualify for incentives.

Regional Lion numbers have doubled since the horrific massacre in 2013 and with that recovery comes increased interactions between people and Lions. Secharo's Pride has paid a heavy price, and that is crushing, but Mayenga's Pride (despite her loss) is reason for hope with 7 adults and 9 cubs living far from the nearest village. Our best chance is to maintain communication with the communities, expand our Communal Herding Program and drastically reduce conflict for a hopeful future.

Lion Conservation Planning Meeting

Lise Hanssen, center, sharing her insights on lion movements in Caprivi/ Zambezi region of Namibia. Dr. Robynne Kotze looks on and Arthur Albertson listens via zoom. Lynn Fanikiso, GIS specialist for Trans Kalahari Predator Programme

On 5 December, CLAWS organized a meeting with colleagues studying lions in Northern Botswana and Zambezi region of Namibia. Dr. Robynne Kotze and Dr. Jess Isden from Trans Kalahari Predator Programme, who study lions in the Chobe Enclave and lead lion population surveys throughout northern Botswana. Lise Hanssen, of the Kwando Carnivore Project, studies large carnivores across northeastern Namibia, shared her insights on carnivore distribution and dispersal into Botswana. Arthur Albertson, of the Kalahari Wildlife Trust, shared his experiences in on the western side of the Okavango River, against the Namibian border (via zoom).

Dr. Jess Isden reviewing reports and Lise Hanssen catching up with her field team during a quick break

The purpose of this meeting was to discuss our individual projects in the central Kavango Zambezi Transfronteir Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) to determine ways of collaborating and data sharing. Through our conversations we were able to discuss lion dispersal, camera survey design for population estimates and monitoring cross border movements. This meeting was highly productive and all participants were thankful for the opportunity to come together. We are grateful to WWF for sponsoring this gathering and we look forward to the next one!

Quarantine Launch for Greater Market Access for Wildlife Friendly Beef

Assistant Minister of Agriculture Presides over the Quarantine Launch

There is a deep connection between community prosperity and the fate of African lions. If people view lions as a threat to their livelihoods then lion's survival will always be at risk. But what if we created a series of incentives that benefit people and reduce lion conflict? Thus far, we have established the first communal herding program in Botswana where participants have seen a dramatic reduction in losses to predators. Their cattle receive vaccinations and treatments for illnesses that ravage those unattended cattle outside of our program.
But today was a game-changer....

CLAWS Director, Dr. Andrew Stein, thanks our partners for helping us reach this important day

Today, in the small village of Eretsha, the Assistant Minister of Agriculture (pictured at the top), Director of Veterinary Services, Chairman of the Councilors Office and officials from many other departments came to celebrate the launch of our mobile quarantine boma. This electrified livestock enclosure is the first-of-its-kind in the world to be approved for allowing cattle to graze remotely and receive the same health certification as those in commercial operations outside of the wildlife areas. Currently, villagers can only sell to small local markets for a fraction of the selling price as those in regions with separations between cattle and wildlife because our local cattle may mingle with Cape buffalo carrying Foot and Mouth Disease. There is no incentive to take much care of the cattle if the price is so low. If villagers want to sell their cattle for a better price they must pay to transport them to a quarantine far away, pay for fodder for the quarantine period (30 days) and personal housing that cuts significantly into their selling profits.

Our quarantine enclosure cuts significant costs for the farmer and the environment. Further, it supports rangeland grazing which is healthier for the cattle and can stimulate rangeland restoration through planned grazing.

Dr. Jacques Van Rooyen, Director of Herding 4 Health, shares the procedures for admitting and checking cattle to ensure they adhere to the standards set by Department of veterinary services

In addition, those farmers that are part of our communal herding program, and adhere to Herding 4 Health principles, can sell their cattle for double the current value- creating the best incentive yet to be part of our Wildlife Friendly initiative thanks to the Botswana Meat Commission and our partners in the tourism sector. As part of Commodity Based Trade, this beef can be sold on the international markets.

Herded cattle are better protected and healthy, lions catch fewer cattle and, therefore, are less of a threat to farmers and the farmers get double the return on their cattle. Everyone wins!

Visitors and media approach the quarantine boma to witness cattle inspection.

With new, complementary innovations and market access, the traditional practices of herding can lead us to a new time of prosperous communities and thriving wildlife. As the Assistant Minister of Agriculture poignantly said, "We as a country should return to our cultural practices of herding our animals". Then he said, "With these words I officially declare the mobile quarantine launched!"

We are thankful to Conservation International's Herding 4 Health Program for partnering with us to make this day possible. We thank the European Union and Peace Parks for supporting this initiative and many government departments (Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Veterinary Services, Department of Animal Production, Department of Wildlife and National Parks) for participating and giving final approval for this initiative. Lastly, we are thankful to our community partner, Eretsha Village, for staying with us even through some of the challenging times. We are seeing a bright future!

What a day for CLAWS, Eretsha and Botswana!