Lions are in trouble. Once widespread throughout Africa, their numbers have dwindled to around 30,000 individuals.
As human population increases, we encroach ever further upon wildlife habitat, causing more conflicts between wildlife and people. In Tanzania and Kenya many rural communities depend on their livestock for economic security. Lions depend on these same lands for their survival. But when a lion kills livestock, villagers end up killing lions.
National Geographic has been working with these rural communities to help them protect their livelihoods and to help the lions at the same time. They came up with a solution: the installation of live walls (or bomas). Basically, a live wall is a fence built with two materials: chain link fencing and trees. Trees are planted (when they are just leafless sticks) and the chain link nailed to them. When the rain falls, the trees grow, creating a live wall where predators do not venture. Livestock are safe at night, predators go somewhere else to look for wild prey, lions are not killed in retaliation, and rural communities have economic security. Everybody wins!
To build a single boma is costly though. This is why, Big cats Initiative created their Build a Boma campaign, where every body can donate and even create their own fundraising page for this purpose. We can’t imagine a world without wild lions so we have decided to create our own fundraising page to help the wild population. They need all the help we can give them. For the next 30 days we are going to raise all the money we can. For the lions. For the people.
Be assured that all your donation – 100% – will go toward building boma fences to protect lions, livestock, and livelihoods. $500 will build one boma and $25 will maintain it for a year. We have set our goal to provide one boma and its maintanence for a whole year, that is just $525. Livestock and livelihoods will be protected. Lions in the area will no longer be killed in reprisal.
We can make it! We can stop the dramatic decline in big cat populations.
In the name of all the lions, thank you for your support!
Can’t donate? You can still help lion conservation by sharing this post and starting your own campaign!
Can you imagine Africa without the roar of a wild lion?
Cristina Garcia
Zoologist and wildlife photographer. She has worked in the field with jackals, wolves, cheetahs, & leopards. She serves on the Board of Directors of SEE Turtles, a non-profit sea turtle conservation organization.
Read her posts at Travel For Wildlife and see more of her work at Truly Wild, & Our Wild Yard.