THE FATE OF KILIMANJARO'S KINGS
F
ar from being kings of the jungle,
lions and other large carnivores in
Africa are increasingly at risk. The rise in
human population has brought predators
and people in perilous proximity, leading
to predation on livestock and retaliatory
killings, loss of habitat and prey, disease,
and a dramatic decline of carnivore
populations.
Across Africa, the large carnivore
population is estimated to have declined
significantly in recent years. In Kilimanjaro
Heartland, the Maasai people have become
particularly intolerant of lions because
of livestock predation. Because knowing
carnivore numbers and distribution is an
important step in determining effective
intervention, in early 2012, AWF teamed
with Kenya Wildlife Service, Tanzania
National Parks, and other stakeholders
to help conduct the region's first cross-
border large-carnivore census. The effort
involved the work of several of AWF's
Kilimanjaro Heartland staff, as well as our
lion researcher--Dr. Bernard Kissui--
from the Maasai Steppe Heartland.
Preliminary results reveal that hyenas--
not lions--pose the biggest threat to
livestock owners. Lions are a distant
second. Even more surprising, the census
efforts actually revealed that drought
is responsible for the greatest livestock
loss--and many more livestock are sold
than are lost to predation.
"Now that we have pretty good data
on carnivore numbers, we can move
forward--working with communities on
herding management practices and other
measures to minimize further potential
humanpredator conflict," said Fiesta
Warinwa, Kilimanjaro Heartland director.
W
hen people think of carnivores,
lions, leopards, and cheetahs
are the usual suspects that come to
mind. But the African continent is also
home to more than 72 carnivorous
species, many much smaller than the
big cats. Following is a sampling of
the other predators found in Africa:
African wild dog
Listed as endangered on the iUcn
red List, there are fewer than 5,000
African wild dogs living in the wild
in Africa. the species is considered
extinct in 23 African countries.
AWF's efforts with African wild dog
monitoring has, thankfully, prompted
an increase in local wild dog
populations in the samburu heartland.
Ethiopian wolf
the ethiopian wolf is one of the rarest
canines on earth and the only wolf
species in Africa. only about 360 to
440 are found today, in seven isolated
populations. the species, which
lives at altitudes above 3,200 m, is
threatened by habitat loss due to high-
altitude subsistence agriculture.
African civet
the cat-like civet produces a musky-
smelling oil that was once used in
perfumes. perfume-maker chanel
reportedly used natural civet in its
formulas until 1998.
Honey badger
the honey badger, or ratel, lives in
a variety of habitats across Africa--
ranging from dense rainforest to the
arid lands on the outskirts of the
sahara. it is known for being fearless
and ferocious, and its thick skin can
withstand dog bites. honey badgers
can kill pythons with their jaws.
The Other Carnivores
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