tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44151646648071687162024-02-19T18:43:24.968+03:00Mara Predator ProjectSara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-30279031786206185282016-03-23T15:39:00.002+03:002016-03-23T15:54:24.026+03:00Research Article: lions can live with people with the help of community conservancies <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We've now published some <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12632/epdf" target="_blank">important research</a> from our long-term lion study in the Mara Conservancies.<br />
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Our new study in the <a href="https://jappliedecologyblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/showing-the-way-for-carnivore-conservation-lions-can-survive-without-fences-with-the-help-of-community-conservancies/" target="_blank">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>, conducted together with <a href="http://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_453107_en.html" target="_blank">The University Of Glasgow</a>, found that the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12632/epdf" target="_blank">community conservancies of the Mara ecosystem play a vital role in the survival of lions</a>. This is great news for lion conservation - with widespread declines outside of small, fenced areas, we have shown that free-ranging lions have a future without fences. <br />
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Conservancy membership provides households with financial benefits from wildlife tourism and engenders an attitude of coexistence with wildlife. The net effect is that people become more tolerant of lions because they attract tourists and bring an alternative source of income to landowners.<br />
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<a href="https://creativeecology.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Sara Blackburn</a>, lead author on the paper said: “The most important finding in this study is that community conservancies are a viable way to protect wildlife and pose an alternative solution to building fences. If we are concerned about the population of lions, we need to let the people who actually live with the lions benefit from their existence.”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZVrbIp4tzQsjVjK6l_adFHajLHlyKT0OgOaaJ1LNGkKrVZYmb1__bAeQdAfF3HyAjgw3Jcx7SEIE-neJviEeD-bdDWhezg77hvlG791R7ripElK5wMQJEsR0TyySTp0pNMOFr9sXOAc/s1600/new+male+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZVrbIp4tzQsjVjK6l_adFHajLHlyKT0OgOaaJ1LNGkKrVZYmb1__bAeQdAfF3HyAjgw3Jcx7SEIE-neJviEeD-bdDWhezg77hvlG791R7ripElK5wMQJEsR0TyySTp0pNMOFr9sXOAc/s400/new+male+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hope for lions: community conservancies increase lion survival, indicating a future without fences</span></div>
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The study illustrates that community conservancies are a good strategy for the future protection of lion populations and provides a practical solution to the problem, especially in areas where the expense of fencing is not a realistic option.<br />
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Our research is hitting the news and a comprehensive summary can be found <a href="http://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_453107_en.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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An online version of the paper can be accessed <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12632/epdf" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-8863738039918206552014-10-30T14:30:00.000+03:002015-08-31T14:30:45.413+03:00Asante sana!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Important Anouncement:</span> </strong><strong>The Mara Predator Project has now completed field activities and our researchers are now in the process of analysing our data. The project was instigated and developed to provide conservation-based research on one of East Africa's most important lion populations and we are now able to provide evidence-based advice regarding on successfully maintaining viable lion populations in the region. </strong></div>
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We would like to thank all of those who participated in the research including all of the lodges, managers and guides who made this work possible. We would also like to express our gratitude to our funders and supporters. </div>
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This website will stay active to retain the historical information of our study lions. If you saw lions within our study area from 2008-2013, and possibly dates either side of this period, we still welcome you to browse our profiles and identify you lion. </div>
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-69799208866746891342012-01-17T16:43:00.002+03:002014-06-30T12:13:45.831+03:00Keep Up To Date<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxeXbhjZTRCT1i7pQWc3YHDtbQxSlxxydrbVXh0C9Dl9NfH_iK3zQ67mcvMgcWYa40ow0GLmmZ2kuyNQGxVBTbaP9PA9JsZLRaRvbSfbfxhFzUgtBsH4uxLP2BDKqWsdH802S-plo-J4/s1600/chelicub.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxeXbhjZTRCT1i7pQWc3YHDtbQxSlxxydrbVXh0C9Dl9NfH_iK3zQ67mcvMgcWYa40ow0GLmmZ2kuyNQGxVBTbaP9PA9JsZLRaRvbSfbfxhFzUgtBsH4uxLP2BDKqWsdH802S-plo-J4/s400/chelicub.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698607585836281570" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 265px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Apologies to all who have enjoyed reading our blog, but have been without a new post for some time! <br />
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We're making some changes to the site and putting our blog on hold for the time being, but we don't intend to leave you in the dark. For all news on the Mara Predator Project, you can <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Living-With-Lions/218126094872695">follow us on Facebook</a>. If you don't have a Facebook account, we're adding a feed onto our <a href="http://www.livingwithlions.org/mara">main site</a> so that you can see the latest updates. </div>
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Whether you follow us in the field or on Facebook, we hope you'll continue to enjoy reading about our lions until we get our blog up and running again. </div>
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Sara</div>
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-2927140599623898122011-04-19T12:15:00.001+03:002014-06-30T12:14:03.862+03:00Losing Lispy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After some more investigation around the Musiara Marsh, I can sadly confirm that Lispy is no longer alive. It has been difficult tracking down all the member of the Marsh Pride, including all the youngsters, but all are now accounted for except Lispy. <br />
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On a training session with the guides from <a href="http://www.serian.net/">Serian Camp</a>, I found <a href="http://www.livingwithlions.org/mara/lions/joy/">Joy</a> from the Three Graces eyeing a herd of impala within the Mara River treeline. She looked thin, and had better step up her hunting – she now has four three-month old cubs to look after, discovered by Nicholas Ratia, our reporting guide from <a href="http://www.karenblixencamp.com/">Karen Blixen Camp</a>. With the Marsh Pride clocking up over 20 lions in total – including many boisterous male teenagers – It’s no wonder she’s keeping her little ones at a distance. Matajo and Hasani, her older cubs, are now spending more and more time on their own, but have been welcomed by the main group. They’re certainly too young to be looking after themselves. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCmpcCm1ueQMBt-m6fQBoS5CLw0sOmNVRB36Di58vpmHtu0m1b5bxRD98TeL9aJ556TLUIG6p9RS7CF9Z7_BZWeoxCiZA23X6E7cpQ2EG88ZrFyhROJ8V5wOxR7klNoqPwYJmS8uRu3U/s1600-h/joy%20new%20cubs%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="joy new cubs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMTwzMKAvPrOIgC_VE6Yrs_70svkARQ1-2fTZi0CZTTOFKjRB51i_K9oFmXauTWKd3NKLxdd1DhzGFauUISMnemlkd_qllKtfYsr6xjk-RenNup0uiu8oAEYuQBF2g5uRQ0RoQGruZKI/?imgmax=800" height="298" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="joy new cubs" width="445" /></a><br />
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<em>Joy with two of her little ones – thanks to Nicholas for a great picture!</em></div>
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Next, we found the majority of the pride resting near the Musiara Marsh Windmill. We counted 15 lions in total – including <a href="http://www.livingwithlions.org/mara/lions/clawed/">Clawed</a> and <a href="http://www.livingwithlions.org/mara/lions/romeo/">Romeo</a>, the pride males. Clawed is really showing his age, and I don’t know how long this pair can hold their pride. I identified Charm, resting with her three large cubs, one intent on annoying Romeo, who wasn’t best pleased with his play-mate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqJK16PQc9X-PksQAxOIassP9-vBsdWC7SulAnJCHWYyPDzqTOEvYsgQOQZ2qGPjs7-DH4vxj-VMxpweEQSYhEylzvZJjiX5c7Exdj94zhmjjz5VrePcZWJa9iplci3lw2kEObgFyEnk/s1600-h/snap%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="snap" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_CX8NZBgNuE8/Ta1SUteIXwI/AAAAAAAAAps/mxUy9NQd09U/snap_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="295" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="snap" width="440" /></a><br />
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<em>This cub had better watch out!</em></div>
<br clear="all" />Siena, the third of the Three Graces, was sleeping within the group. Once a clear splinter group, it certainly appears that the trio have been formally accepter back in to the main pride. This is probably somewhat down to the loss of Red earlier last year, and now Lispy – with a large number of demanding cubs and youngsters, there are many mouths to feed. Certainly, many of the pride appeared rather thin. <br />
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White Eye and Bibi, the two remaining original Marsh Pride females, were the last adults to be identified by the Serian Camp guides. Jonathan Koikai quickly pointed out the unmistakable female with her missing eye. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYxLpQI8bWJyVufuW1Kp8AfIwBvAaXUQopVQwD54aGQEI2KonF3iPcRA07-KVJXSFXynmdxLnJ6OQz-KblX1aPalWB2iaiEtV6IuWzL1SS5qSWMLnetZk210M335teiBI6DfA5CXDE8c/s1600-h/whiteeye-charm-siena%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="whiteeye-charm-siena" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7t1r-wUVAduVl4Jmry2uy9KB4nu_TYlscX7ZY2e6Lg2tZhHZCMJcs9ovqi4_xMhlwglgO15bzKS-FaJTBTgXF9OrEqTgmdtqikfGpm5YeVszljguua4c-EjPjvbvCeWsuZFir_enYGSk/?imgmax=800" height="283" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="whiteeye-charm-siena" width="422" /></a><br />
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<em>White Eye (left), Charm (centre) and Siena (right) are now the pride leaders, together with Bibi (below)</em></div>
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<em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgBMhaPWOGid_FtlBv0AjsqHQ49mYoD-urgmyynFCdO7Z3Zc4tvVGzCtfPIVO1rkBIqUAvqYJw5sJTWzZJOwgRYttqBpNK2m-07BjThTtYKI26JxLWYKt2X4TRyHPIglkspRVcpP1_0o/s1600-h/bibi%20sitting%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="bibi sitting" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXNby7rDfGkopLc_VKYHOhABAM4I1Y3qW04MD7nXizwrK43llte-7DaFony7SuOzRkePXsALZk6TWdcgdyCwfehBO9IYwRxv_cm_1DTucrswKMFlXHtcd_27Y-xmebsc66ITEZ8XbNXE/?imgmax=800" height="285" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="bibi sitting" width="425" /></a></em></div>
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<br clear="all" />Finally, we tracked down the young females that are Bibi, Lispy, Red and White-Eye’s older cubs. Still youngsters, the four girls were playing with two tortoises that they had found. Although lions can eat everything from mice to elephants, these hard cased critters proved too much for these inexperienced lionesses!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgHXe6dJWr8GnK1nSeVNzLbJiI-IHBk6F7ZAh_Tk3OeIs2t85FhwhhENg90a0eBV6GsiS9zgL3jZba5SwJ8EAGhZ7dv7CtKiB9_pvXH3J0peRByiTaBI30VY2vlHCxYMilQthHi50MXk/s1600-h/marshgirls%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="marshgirls" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGmVYYknWkruBbhoP1rc2X_7YMNKqSfirJa1gd5k4q8jwgqF6aByLx35cpV6s3DuUR5AKrZqXuBbYIuPKiyOQJ2TA_U7tAN_0LgeIA2pDIW606pfA5_hId7fn2zDhs2lLaoHJcrlFyaE/?imgmax=800" height="308" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="marshgirls" width="460" /></a><br />
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<em>You might want to remove the outer packaging!</em></div>
<br clear="all" />So it is now clear that we’ve lost Lispy. As a core female in the Marsh Pride for many years, it is certainly a loss. However, at the ripe age of 13, Lispy has been a successful mother for a decade, and has left behind some formidable descendants. With the reunion of the main pride and the Three Graces, I have little doubt that the Marsh Pride will continue to thrive as the best loved lions of the Masai Mara. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxY-0IqpC4efl5g1ApcUl1zEBo9ULyYOU49tMbVlcb_yoN2OFNCMzA5-vETCT3wiTXbY1L6DXZUmiTeCuMg-fWeKI1im-cQoX6_-OMUnD098WJlmqM51O9leVS7qMp-itSlafzp0BEmQ/s1600-h/lispy%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="lispy" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1_u4g7yX1PJBg-OqBa7BVrEz8T2tH3jZrHl2Qp-JG2jwbS7eFtE8UFY-XfieuOrlJkNpRl8Ar_fgVeWQ3hyphenhyphenF-XfUf8jO09GRqF12B5kGdRZhyphenhyphenvJ4UmhcI_wQ1Tgl8P5y1r_sUcHVNqM/?imgmax=800" height="512" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="lispy" width="344" /></a><br />
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<em>Lispy looks out over her territory of the Musiara Marsh</em></div>
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<br clear="all" /> <br />Sara</div>
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-10480437678123610092011-04-05T21:23:00.001+03:002014-06-30T12:14:12.394+03:00Lions of the Olare Orok<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This week I’ve been spending time in the <a href="http://www.oocmara.com/">Olare Orok Conservancy</a> (OOC). Lying along the southern border of the Mara North Conservancy and contiguous wit the Masai Mara National Reserve, the OOC is packed full of lions, despite its relatively small size. This month, <a href="http://greatplainsconservation.com/mara_plains/index.html">Mara Plains</a> and <a href="http://www.kicheche.com/camps-bush.shtm">Kicheche Bush Camp</a> have welcomed me to the conservancy to see how many lions I can find. <br />
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The week started well with a gaggle of young lions – nine of them dozing alongside a small lugga. One handsome young male stood out, together with a smart young female. The group was a real mixed bunch, with large cubs, sub-adults and one older lioness that was babysitting the crowd. We identified them as part of the Ngoyonai Pride who currently have a real stronghold within the conservancy. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzwgaG3llqbX2fE3I0j_1-38EWegPGCferFcuIMMVdnreB21Amz86qrm48eHxOOE2BtszwBjYImFpWIPqQsDUQ4zy7eNamAERAZAxX_wzsUf5fhtHv7C1JqvpXOutAZioDfL4S7jOH-4/s1600-h/OOC%20191%20copy%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="OOC 191 copy" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoN50GUbYZUUbvtIChQRaSd34n3IOBLBXwmv23anSmIO-i1xovjozfFgS5gCQq9UM2c0I2o6xX_WDFD9B7qkMXun9yCRRCWFS3lg5A1PUSFEVTjP4yZhC1OcxT4vLF2kUT1den78IJC0/?imgmax=800" height="188" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="OOC 191 copy" width="472" /></a><br />
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<em>Our first find: the Ngoyonai Pride</em></div>
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The following evening, we ventured further north, happening upon yet more Ngoyonai members. A pair of smart lionesses were watching impala nearby a mating pair. The male was one of the pride’s pair who had overthrown the old boys the reign in the OOC, and this ruffian had all the battle scars to show for it. As darkness fell, the couple bellowed across the plains. Roaring is a lion’s way of locating other pride members, and also warning other lions in the area that they’re around. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7-nh01uhHmjPzsqGQi3aPWnk8ze9-wLi3NuHtZhWER6RCERRgGlUl-L_llx7zBuL6x1lYCm7ojh0HaXYIPOMIGzaQebVyMFw3oo9Dn5uivZCYTgDHBrbG_Rox83EtSrMju8pPMCp-E4/s1600-h/mating%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="mating" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aYfG7V05BWRBsUHU6iDZPqPauWBgVqx38eMC7RgleUZwKz1_m2NY1DWZxp-7ChOUQ1-OQ1YJPEiwVMdlJJ_9Bi3Lxe6Bys51Ui_ufm8RqNfXFWa7xC59OOzn7jdTuVlcNrjcLFEa06Q/?imgmax=800" height="261" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="mating" width="390" /></a></div>
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<em>Ensuring his genes are passed on is top priority for pride males</em></div>
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On day three, I found the other Ngoyonai male, also with his progeny on the agenda. This fellow was resting near the road, but he wasn’t alone. Rounding the bend of a heavily vegetated stream, I was met by a proud mother and her three young cubs. Timid but adventurous, the trio played around (and on!) their patient mother. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJSBl_HXipZOhs-qEcsY3Tn4-UQK9gKD-Hh9BHofofpIBLp0nVycLUaHOhnhcKxze-ZajMFYQr4DnbKLl1poCO_7OhA7WlpU8ihI_e7P0RRwj5jtb4vj-2FsIi2Z4-DabmgjcTwzCwTU/s1600-h/ngoyonai%20male%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="ngoyonai male" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqAq9q59MiBFS0wNJG8ycK2rDjXuCOQN3xh41F-5lTkGsbFGw6ilKkZYx7ULrNXTJ2bQG2Cg6nzyhaJjGliEzz5VQl1j-GNQiAqa59HrProf8bYqsIJ_03L0x7ppWx92oes1JxEUhrfo/?imgmax=800" height="359" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="ngoyonai male" width="241" /></a></div>
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<em>You can see why this smart male rules the roost alongside his brother</em></div>
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_CX8NZBgNuE8/TZteC5tGqCI/AAAAAAAAApY/kGg03PX_zF4/s1600-h/threecubs%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="threecubs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMeHR30761nCNWxSMXc7zcbQnObDu3JihUOkpIQhU_Hhbqd51fXxcpZ2RUewAcL2S_QUlRY5q4Tp7eRLMFIZy-TKZeeD9uQa845qopODVvA1dyzfxzlBkWZnAYcSaZ4CxTEguOfL3D8I/?imgmax=800" height="275" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="threecubs" width="410" /></a></div>
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<em>Mum’s the word</em></div>
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It’s certainly clear that the OOC is a real playground for lions. The Ngoyonai Pride are certainly on top form, with two strong males, plenty of breeding females and a whole host of youngsters, young and old. However, it’s not always been this way – just a few months ago, the Monico Pride reigned supreme. But with not a single Monico member in sight, it’s clear that things have been turned upside down in the OOC lion world.</div>
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Keep posted for more introductions to OOC pride members, and a look into why the Ngoyonais have gotten one up on the Monicos.</div>
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<br />Sara</div>
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-3246309549397117272011-03-05T19:22:00.001+03:002014-06-30T12:14:20.401+03:00Clash of the Titans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Over the past few months, the male lions of the Mara North Conservancy have been causing chaos in the resident prides. <br />
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The culprits are the two gangs of young males – the River Pride males to the North, and the recent rulers, the Cheli and Peacock males, to the south. Originally from Lemek Conservancy, these three impressive lions came out of the blue to assert their dominance over the largest group of breeding females in the conservancy – the Cheli and Peacock Pride. Joshua, Jamal and Akiki overthrew Ajani, Samir and Shambe late lasdt year, but with little between the two trios, and less than a kilometre of no-man’s land between their territories, there’s been a fair number of scraps. <br />
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A few nights ago I found the River males at the end of the Cheli and Peacock lugga, deep into Joshua and co.’s territory. They were definitely looking for trouble. <br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_CX8NZBgNuE8/TXJi0pWoLYI/AAAAAAAAAoA/I8Wvu6Udji8/s1600-h/small1%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="small1" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20tOZuqBDoxgTPdxV1oTTNiAMw_pM82M3oBxP6_NEuRQ2NDR6kX7SUO607JU4ENdiFPd9r2pw97hruUV-nChM8aTr0cQbkYW3wnxoz0RMAFyesjm8ttpfwVxngnUMucwFpoMHkQDnVxE/?imgmax=800" height="172" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="small1" width="464" /></a><br />
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<em>Shambe and Samir </em></div>
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The next morning I went on the hunt for lions. First I found Shambe, idling alongside the main road. At first glance, it didn’t look like anyone else was around, but the zebra soon alerted me to more predators. it was Samir and Ajani, but they weren’t with their brother – they were striding into the Cheli and Peacock males’ territory, and with a purpose. </div>
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Roaring as they went and clearly looking for trouble, I drove ahead to see what the deal was. I quickly found Jamal a few hundred metres of the pair. He seemed to be on the run – ahead of him was Joshua, his brother.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpvG2a6F4dDWn9SVghmalu971KMbqN20G7qVUbNR_ePDBSyYqIukJQwKd77vI0N_4pR1dv4t0Q0oJ7PHc18v95vGG_WSKHdFatqg3LDFbHZqvPY39l5iG5zq2_Lppjs5OJhj7RCxNY5M/s1600-h/follow%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="follow" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinji5RWYOhd8oQfwkwPk1MhhVzFK1Kpx2jflxhNWrGXr3FD2bxDVbaPe_C0ApbdaK0I7lIJZb99b6rRa0I7Le_Go2enRaJGRsUuXv-f9jbp7fsY0SqPGf_80hhhJ_Ok5ZzbPSPextL8TQ/?imgmax=800" height="180" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="follow" width="485" /></a></div>
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<em>Jamal has someone on his tail…</em></div>
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The pair picked up the pace, but suddenly hesitated. The tables had obviously turned, as ahead of his brothers, Akiki ran into the picture. Swinging round to follow, Jamal and Joshua followed suit and turned on the River Males – without Shambe in support, they were down 2 to 3. It was the Cheli and Peacock Males’ turn to bellow now, and defend their territory and females. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidofBPmbCXpFKrBqOe_srzbp6a41wknJUa4Wan-g7xV1qVJhnbtMMz0wSe2FxGjIRO4xFitOHkP565On-ychARVt0Sw2e1z2VLkHyYo4vaYW39OQbCiCCAFrZvljXSurhxsTrt_JvvbfQ/s1600-h/runningmales%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="runningmales" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPwEeLfj6tCdKFjiHpVtcxayIo0jZm8pK7Io5Bo2czXiIDOOMoUqumxGmX02B2diy4NYSSLqiJ3i0Q_F7QPm-q53XR5ac2JY248UWuDHrWRyFyte7g5ZP93D0jmBSd6DxBDUPAbTCOWw/?imgmax=800" height="322" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="runningmales" width="481" /></a></div>
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<em>Akiki and Joshua pursue the pair…</em></div>
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<em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2pBpilqk8f1ECkDZ_PRQ71TzwpDZYvpyXpeqFD-DtI6aLECeI7sCfYEMbXQco85LCN_rd86uF4hv_15G3a-x8jAvz-XUK9q6fDyh_1o8jWikj9VyWPSNNF5QEmcMa71_JCyD7yorbs8/s1600-h/runsmall%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="runsmall" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13SdVGl2AD1grHz_YmuBH0EfsrKaSQy9ZQPJ6wtNfoeU40TECJhtXpqxqTZUIrREqcHJWP_vDwj-YoiFszXgUwwl2q6pGpg0Dlh62z5Cl6L7ynCvdb-MvVPZtNPI8mdqA-4nVEkThyphenhyphenNY/?imgmax=800" height="178" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="runsmall" width="480" /></a></em></div>
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<em>…roaring as they go. You rarely see a male lion move this fast!</em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pZiLADDrHITtYyieqS1cCrC1cYxFLxZdswGkc2Om5suGGByuzbL1TIE8Ck3K5rL3GW3H1voW5gLRzB2QAjr9rm6sOwJ2uzV0imhAi96NPkAb4-BMQfY_5OlmGJl5-zoyltf7HH4dC50/s1600-h/scentmark%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="scentmark" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAOp2DL-vU02FPveHU9Nm4lQVbjn7QnG_rLkusb1x5HiTfXfXEBuC2i8b3ycD2AmxbP-lpawdrpgNOfr8es-KNB8SyJDwQ7eAO6FBLSUBaCz6Tx5td1W_yuEIWCebIsj_dSIBTsMHkoY/?imgmax=800" height="178" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="scentmark" width="481" /></a></div>
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<em>The males quickly scent marked by scuffing urine into the ground – a clear sign to the River males that this territory is taken</em></div>
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It soon became obvious why the trios were tussling. Further down the valley, Siti was watching her males descend. They picked up the pace when they saw her, and followed her into the bushes. I knew that one of the girls had a new litter – could it be Siti?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-8xv1-do0Oh_biyIaiS63AadRGyglIyzJ2SgrweVz6vlRLq9Qc0xb2sbQ4bVK6iZXXf9sgMJLr8YiL-CAHDGHw_Gw21D_XgZkRZzIlYkIsrG4mAPIkrxcnmNJxKJ-BeQlRpV1dbSVx8/s1600-h/sitilook%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="sitilook" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2n2DcEjFhj_SNxf007Jo5jDkA4f-ksz5Y1n1uh6c8OYrQiPuGAQACg5wwqlbRUt3rRbNJqOvA3KwnIfMXqIhyIXrnFtjmztuBL881iya-lDRWEZFFnRVU4NCIeyLkMHe31SNfKEy4j-Y/?imgmax=800" height="179" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="sitilook" width="482" /></a></div>
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<em>Siti checks that the approaching males are friendly</em></div>
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Siti was cautious, and for good reason – if the Cheli and Peacock males had let the River Males near Siti, her cubs would have been in grave danger. Having lost her previous two litters to male infanticide, Siti desperately needs these three boys to defend her offspring against intruders. </div>
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With her older offspring showing signs of pregnancy, and her sisters Nura and Lilly probably expecting, now could be the turning point of the pride. Can Joshua, Jamal and Akiki watch their girls and help the pride grow? Let’s hope so. But with the River Pride males within throwing distance and on the prowl for new females, they’re not out of the woods yet…</div>
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Sara</div>
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-7047441352683255272011-02-27T15:50:00.001+03:002014-06-30T12:14:35.045+03:00Still Searching<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It’s been a while since we heard news of the dead lioness within the Marsh Pride, and I’ve been trying to work out her identity. I visited the pride to find out who is still around, and I know many of you are anxious to know who still remains in the pride. <br />
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Early yesterday morning, snorting zebra and wildebeest revealed the location of the lions strolling across the plains by the Musiara Airstrip. I counted eleven lions in total – several females and a gaggle of cubs of varying ages. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0thE5IGE_Q4LR72-X0QAykDF9Ug6O9ibpdoAEW_Ls8AFcd3pyHTCxXdmkhMdLPGUFSo2BoQmRnh8psFki_CXwyZz9AFhdyQMZP96n2qXtvNunEorhVXUZQynh6HTk1-nNcXKI1PBmhp4/s1600-h/marshpride%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="marshpride" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhOlrzYYos6rbUSzhqFftUaUTy7cRXEWDUnLj0B-Tb4tkEcB0OH4Ob14wGxPCmIHhyKQQVLS4jIdQXiZNc90yPwAj3DusAn1FXawqwhFWYLHBfdKwr8lSD5eGmtY8ghVX-nxM6DZmtNs/?imgmax=800" height="201" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="marshpride" width="402" /></a><br />
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<em>The Marsh Pride </em></div>
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I started to identify individual lions as they crossed the Bila Shaka lugga to lay up. First I saw Bibi, one of the oldest lionesses. she has the end of her tail missing, whilst years of thickets and cat fights have left her with characteristically tattered ears. She was busy hassling a group of buffalos alongside her sons and nephews.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NBul2GBmnu_6YPSipfdPCE0W9fL8LFkW9mKO6xHBjNrWrcCJtkIZSaqXbq17r0AFR1Oi5p4r_rFfguO_VEi18TUIOe1zCnUGGt2uq13fKyAS-EmnU1SiQp-QzR2_L9Gqo_hdQW7ct-4/s1600-h/bibi%5B4%5D.jpg"><span style="color: #331e01;"></span><img alt="bibi" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo5mEw8s2wKYpIOkVIdVCmMfShNlKZU6CRBmtGW-G_b5mrun73U8tZdj8kBXPwWJeeVE62jtEFrF6aZSafIRjFTvMP_WPdpwFhXwlI_EyflUWGrZAyuwRfJ96TC9OmqOa-qJRfaIWLUo/?imgmax=800" height="270" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="bibi" width="403" /></a></div>
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<em>Bibi winds up the locals</em></div>
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Next to appear was Charm, with her characteristically straight nose, varying from the typical ‘M’ shape at the top of the fleshy part. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZFOVdhhHDl-Z9ruzAzJUxIDdv95rs6ER0gParB_oR6YqqgVQlnPo-RNOmBK6aWMcPOW8hgOa3ZJnk4cdlgHsn-XKZf14t91B47e2QrNwHrouzoN_LiQgeNHJj_t4KIxec4BBDPD65F0/s1600-h/charm%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="charm" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGV7Yosomf4QBUgz6xUgrQWKVCU5lzGsgmC_mWsr2zLZ5irTidF36ORr5P_ulrXgFDGZ1BCKADeqo488EtB9O8O_jham2mNZUMCLbhMRVAf8dVGrrrmgr4s3aof8alZDeOu7v0lZmmt6o/?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="charm" width="397" /></a></div>
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<em>Charm led the pride towards trouble</em></div>
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She had led the pride to bigger game in the form of a herd of elephants, who weren’t best pleased with their new playmates. Chaos quickly ensued, with one grumpy teenager chasing the adolescent lions out of the picture. Even the buffalos joined in the chase!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YjG5A6j0_ww-u6A1tjafaiTSZfRCBDqCC-d9e2Vpa6YXk-zZAcqTl3H3jxjU_0XD4H9vil9x1QPLq8TkyDnmEMAVmPrHrgmCyYZnLmVJj9DDApq7hR0cC3nAC6zlzZHp4p7c7RQrcf4/s1600-h/marsh%20ele%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="marsh ele" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbW9M-D-4V7vQKyQU-9RLPmXXetvAsP_AW5A2tnYBhi9EdPKuYZ46Kc6CXJXFBkwB4wF-3a88EkpcKC5iBuDaQzX3F3EeGUqDqt5U0x4HkBnwowFsr2sXT9Xzcow62lLdRJioAAj0F6w/?imgmax=800" height="275" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="marsh ele" width="410" /></a></div>
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<em>Someone’s not welcome…</em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCz3QZcBdUDNob7WfULOpkcZfSemcAL7iDSQ1FbZC9Bxdwdr-V6YyPn8GPlZ9xURdePpA7hlFoOi4gg3a02UJN403HBbUOK-h8YwF7zGpyKIGQ4ENXb2zCPW1XKH8CGg5m4MSqGRCoK3Q/s1600-h/marsh%20ele%20chase%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="marsh ele chase" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhc3g4ClPca451uGZNp1eP5EaHTBLX5fOfaIY3PYqELEo6pOlFNJy-t3NQv7PGhqc9eUebsTiDL8X15K7xQq0Z6Paaj7CDr9YGKEjtsrwFdPqCm_e5IpLebVw83dmo6aN24E8scY7f_wM/?imgmax=800" height="267" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="marsh ele chase" width="399" /></a></div>
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<em>Even 11 lions are no match for an angry elephant!</em></div>
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The action over, it was time to find the rest of the pride. Only Bibi and Charm were accounted for. Soon I tracked down White Eye, who was resting with Romeo. There was tension between the couple, and it looked like they were about to mate. Even though White Eye is well over 12 years of age, she’s still a key breeding female in the group. The strength of the pride means that each female is supported with food and help with her litters. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiNQoWxDredCqnPksQS6j22TV23L55pr9JvhXgAD_bmNVKjSBEVL1Iv_PJ5huUo084W1HHnXBMbyceFdEQacmVF_wfvfb2jWlV-8Sh-r4kQq60Z2B-zYXfq98U1CnKbxnH0tVW8VZqJc/s1600-h/white%20eye%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="white eye" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXvP4Mvbqhl3xLCLADG0J_RissgqtV_x8SeaiaNcXQqJZyXlhk_5G-KG8iNtUfcCexVuZNLMXJYROP5VydTuYDmQNoML3UZZXVsQj0esZzDzCzok46hsduG6fv4-4yZRqUhBwdmqHcRk/?imgmax=800" height="265" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="white eye" width="395" /></a></div>
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<em>White Eye is still within the core of the pride</em></div>
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Finally, I tracked down Clawed, with his tied, scruffy mane peeking out from behind the thickets. Resting with him was an unknown female. With only some spotting of the nose to identify her, I ruled out that it was Lispy – as an older female, her nose is almost completely black. It also wasn’t Joy – there was no cut in the left side of the nose, no heavy tail tuft, and her coat wasn’t characteristically light. Could it be Siena? Possibly although I couldn’t see her tell-tale floppy ear. I just couldn’t tell.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfqgGX_10pd4AJQ0k2RjvLpjsyQ8pFOeTVFB9jfbU9XcfeSYFy6X3IwLO6RpSUV8NZRDmo1K1PPJm48ALRyFGUo6qEGyn8SuLMYptc5nVRZt248TWLk-QJ3sZO2V_mkaSqqrKFdLSCgU/s1600-h/clawed%20female%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="clawed female" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PPfQ8miKELzZSA7NnAckL3n_OEk8iDLzo3cknYy8bphvMRaBw-bwuG8cmyiZgnuSNLFScgD3p8FDFpOFQu2gpuzR1ur0FX3axiZ1KAi6IfnqpF4rqG2GCZiAxFv9sgl4QUmF_tFTkFU/?imgmax=800" height="264" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="clawed female" width="394" /></a></div>
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<em>Clawed’s mystery female</em></div>
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So it appears that the missing female is either Lispy or Joy, or possibly Siena. I’ll certainly have to do more investigating. Hopefully I can enlist the help of neighbouring camps to search out the missing lionesses. </div>
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Even if Lispy is dead, she has made a huge contribution to the Marsh Pride. Ousted on several occasions, she hung in to finally be reaccepted into the pride. As an old female, she has raised numerous healthy cubs and protected the pride from takeovers. </div>
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I’ll let you know if I find out more – the search isn’t over!</div>
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Sara</div>
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-88229534888303666082011-02-05T19:32:00.001+03:002014-06-30T12:14:44.059+03:00White Eye’s Fate and a Warm Welcome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It has been a long time since the last post, and I must apologise for the long silence! I am now back in the Mara North Conservancy and resuming monitoring of the local lion population. Already I have seen some old faces, and some new ones!<br />
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There is a lot of news to be shared. Some of you may be concerned that White Eye was dead, but I believe that she was seen yesterday with Romeo around the Musiara Marsh. This is fantastic news, as she plays an essential role in the pride, and is still producing healthy cubs. We still do not know who the dead lion was, found in the Marsh, and I suspect that it was a female from the Marsh Pride. It is important now to track down Lispy and Siena – Joy and Charm I believe have been seen healthy and happy. I’ll post news if and when I hear it. <br />
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In the conservancy, the Cheli & Peacock Pride are Rver Prides are doing well, each with their new males. The three brothers, Ajani – Shambe and Samir – have been pushed across to the River Pride territory, and have been spending time on both sides of the Mara River. Last night I found Ajani and Shambe striding across the plain in the darkness – a nice surprise!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimas85lMiZNdSlckoJmC0ZIuydHNCkVXUjGZ3xTc8jeUoq7Cg_9KCSG8ccy6bEXlfyIdMjVw4uER8BpHUW1FRhBuxWUpOYUAt8VQUO9r_382iI57culPY_GypbatRu2W4lbQm7KEQi2c/s1600-h/night%20roar%5B6%5D.jpg"><img alt="night roar" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikwDexzFoRBe9uI66azQ6Q0AVfMEBUrjt6ANWCeF1dmlbJfpOGE-3svHuue1yGWJyU3qjSFTLUa9BUkdkZbLdvkcvqFs_S3TZdK17UkZWhsvvL8tjuxTt1k_u_octsgL1Gjn3_k9tOf0/?imgmax=800" height="253" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="night roar" width="381" /></a><br />
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<em>Ajani and Shambe appeared in the darkness</em></div>
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Just before my encounter with the two brothers, I found members of the Cheli & Peacock Pride on the ridge below the camp. Amber and Saba were resting with Akiki (one of the three brothers who now reside with the pride) and their mother, Nura. A bout of roaring soon alerted us to more pride members over the next hill, and the quartet moved off at a fast pace towards the incoming bellows. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCqGOJfITNAiXBBhRGPRj1p7WO05KruvYCLSm_Ez9YlfguJg9R9nBYPZa6a7rbnu-7DnXpfPTiKNU_IV9UHZYD4g1MNiWT_WB2eDH_vYcCBVUzH87CJeM5sVqzHkI5vEbShwguZBgecc/s1600-h/walk%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="walk" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJS3zYF6DmT4XpImqvB6Z-wm9xMWY4P5NYL36ewE2ZExepthiD9haX0IRX0RgR59p_s1etb1l1-EsG37uznNIDyjG70y9KLGmjsJHmBFG0Cv4hiTJzPKab-DKwAWy_sjzkRwCmy4F97A/?imgmax=800" height="244" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="walk" width="368" /></a><br />
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<em>Nura leads the rest of the group to the distant roars</em></div>
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There’s a lot of exploring to do to find our resident lions, so I’ll keep you posted with the developments. It’s good to be back in the Mara!<br />
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Sara</div>
Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-70944077783073630892010-09-12T16:43:00.002+03:002014-06-30T12:15:01.087+03:00Fingers Crossed for the New Arrivals!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It’s been a while since the Cheli and Peacock Pride – Nura, Lilly and Siti – raised cubs successfully to adulthood. Although Shambe, Ajani and Samir’s takeover meant that Nura and Lilly’s last cubs were killed, it’s not all bad news. Since mating with the Cheli girls, these boys have hung around, and I’m please to announce that at least two lionesses have now had their babies.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUISF9FYCROxYFfMLfstW3g5khfVDJy5YBeWy6V8c5565QAQSBiU4CoYILl6hukieWnrCjhJ6ZKhVvc1-sPoXaR4ougelh10Cakymj9m4FSXbAZu_teUGwPYsERHjgkvI73Tb11ixbQC4/s1600-h/Nurafamily%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="Nurafamily" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn91eAi97TjuI737art5ad4z5bDFLHgA8sYdkxNaP1q4xx-fBUPwslmFknIrObCaP3lElhq6-9t8SqjjpMSbg4vdHaYrghUx6xIUm1WrVGahoz1Hc_jzNxEnIUCVUvBQbUIQBsKUGgO6g/?imgmax=800" height="261" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Nurafamily" width="357" /></a> <em>Nura’s last cubs sadly didn’t make it… nor did those of Lilly and Siti</em></div>
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There are now two litters of two and four, hidden in croton bushes. We’ve had some lucky glimpses, and have seen Nura move her cubs due to the recent heavy rains.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMIJzVDsVObNkoTqeNltpnSZGUgubAD4O-kKXJgA5QWmjx0-uK3IGbJZfc5sN7HbP_MGgXsfDN3UbyQDhvo8mo0_mIFhl2NJcKJk2CP1urWixGQNWkoqIbGA8loyK_gIeVHkT56jjTjc/s1600-h/nuracub2%5B8%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="nuracub2" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5aSfKAIX6nwRaEminmdSfCfF6YOO6DqMhnpGSwRkQ9chmMhoIY8-DNN1z4vxj7omZQxRBrJe8CNV1uwtVGVHgtueBZc2p5TrJM1jTpMQoI9_SEcKk0iHqRzyHlScyHcUHyQzyw_AcPo/?imgmax=800" height="165" style="border: 0px none; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="nuracub2" width="247" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxzcozvplD20Cklhi2gvNwqZ3XwdBGd925MCZbz6O9n4OPMc2LJ7ASQ8FbPZbA90MPHl-E2yZqeOZAA2rXjgF5J79F6DdGmtRh2xRcZTiahCvANiNC_H0FN_mSPGNaV2AP3bRgD1b46k/s1600-h/Nuracubs%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="Nuracubs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2k5Tg6LXxm_b8EZEYJ0zZpIlJr8rRTvXkYfvMnMgMBUKHsY5RB_fWvrtzfUuQIkYmXCT-sV68gKzzqOdy45O7SL8Vu1wn6cwWhH_xjW2STZh2H9YvtSdeW4BGjtU41_8Mnb49HwZ7ccs/?imgmax=800" height="165" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Nuracubs" width="249" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Nura carries her babies to a safer place</span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxzcozvplD20Cklhi2gvNwqZ3XwdBGd925MCZbz6O9n4OPMc2LJ7ASQ8FbPZbA90MPHl-E2yZqeOZAA2rXjgF5J79F6DdGmtRh2xRcZTiahCvANiNC_H0FN_mSPGNaV2AP3bRgD1b46k/s1600-h/Nuracubs%5B5%5D.jpg"> </a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxzcozvplD20Cklhi2gvNwqZ3XwdBGd925MCZbz6O9n4OPMc2LJ7ASQ8FbPZbA90MPHl-E2yZqeOZAA2rXjgF5J79F6DdGmtRh2xRcZTiahCvANiNC_H0FN_mSPGNaV2AP3bRgD1b46k/s1600-h/Nuracubs%5B5%5D.jpg"><em></em></a> <br />
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Their five daughters, including Amber, Maskio and Saba, have all recently been mating with the trio of males who have attached themselves to the pride, which means that they have now reached maturity at around 2 1/2 years of age. These young girls are all very inexperienced, and unfortunately it’s not too common for young mothers to raise large litters, if any cubs at all. However, these lionesses always stick together, and may even gain the support of their mothers. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sqDZR5Il8ZoN5pWyom9sl9fIK9cNZxUBZrct3s1O5AWvhJeA0DqxCghzM2kP-Tyj8u319UC59hcbKvdo-FvMjMq3WlHJeXr4TIEjxzDBhrmw8S6Pd8aNlfp4XH5a8uBa9nYISk0oiTU/s1600-h/ajani%20and%20amber%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="ajani and amber" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1993QjE9g306IYuQu-cjizllGenz0SwV-0dNQVrOfsRPIUyTbGYDI2BXQVu0-LzY5A_CA23TdYeb1mTooo2Re3lziQeJlCMWADhjdsP2twondb0fjPUXtr8XKW61HXsD8Eo1CP5hwVw/?imgmax=800" height="263" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="ajani and amber" width="393" /></a> <em>Ajani and Amber, one of the Cheli and Peacock 'seven'</em></div>
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After toppling Caesar from his pedestal, let’s hope that these three boys can do a better job of protecting their cubs.</div>
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Sara</div>
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-90863871926198893592010-08-04T14:23:00.001+03:002014-06-30T12:15:14.520+03:00The Playful Pride<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Olare Orok Conservancy has two main prides – the Moniko Pride, who reside near Moniko hill, named after a young man who was killed while spearing a lion – and the Enkoyonai Pride. This morning I found the Enkoyonai Pride in a particularly playful mood, mums and cubs alike!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjZiaZs18CaUthrsOJMbrj8K8ook-RLUgBqjDO1tGtmry4DLXeuJC-D2aIUFxQTlW_FXulugQbsICiTzgsJ3T_SKpONLa6cfOLu5pHaHSqP4RRmuxiBjVI94R7tU0k-Qx2DJztvC9oek/s1600-h/sunrise3.jpg"><img alt="sunrise" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGcmYy1MUJoX_8GuWmaZlcwl3gRJflZZl6eyWR8jVxbNtdr7uW95AUdptoxDrE5zFN6nOOgmeo3CuhPeLuZ89ZRa3kz9ot8aLtzLWcYlW18-h8SMNKdVesYunj2QvRJtQ46vj9viQVqQ/?imgmax=800" height="265" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="sunrise" width="396" /></a> <em>One of the Enkoyonai lionesses in the early morning light</em></div>
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The pride had a made a wildebeest kill – not surprising given the huge herds gathering along the N’tiakitiak River. With thousands of wildebeest now residing in the area, the lions have an easy time. </div>
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The fact that their bellies were already full of wildebeest didn’t stop three girls of the pride trying to take on a rather large bachelor buffalo who came over for a closer look. Lions are certainly capable of taking down these enormous animals, but this one was more than these three full-bellied lionesses could tackle. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZE2jwi6QWYjm4uOTL_v-pzeFXs1108yy-dKVofLn9XESw7mrvNE8OJi9gv6R35cva50Ve6EfHBGqHSHfNBLOTehAtsu8W6JmarkJJ7wTVcnoOuXWl5EJX-2MvC5Dlc5lqntjXdXKs6E/s1600-h/buffalochase15.jpg"><img alt="buffalochase1" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiNxm1H3TNW_UG3mHk2U-nSNExLj_JIMmHmXzhUEBmEkhxAYUMkBNDXDls3KovOQy8_8d4fAELGazXu0oAiWBXoNdWT0PfqXzRFHnmmcMQN8QlT1ZB5rFoRlhCJCOQRacIQhk1uYxcuE/?imgmax=800" height="134" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="buffalochase1" width="447" /></a> <em>One of the girls takes on the chase…</em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbWYNdf6Ax6OCK7Fkchzch9dH1Udpi4PmAL4MzNHIWh1cs5haq95Jew-GrQeh_nqwKSNEzPPJ_EZ_jAVQNyCUEmDE2F9fmuqznvl0gWjGSoS8EQpULbZc1MmAzsPTS4ZelHYGBRUA4kE/s1600-h/buffalochase3.jpg"><img alt="buffalochase" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzb21UWjra8PDt3kBDMlCSQKvc8DBTjDFPrrb5x_D24nLncVg9yRxiOCmnRQsxvqo7EYT-8vxu8UljOu6SjMq57pUDp0p2oM0ZUTKuJ4W3eQcYz1hCrMqKyVJaVu4-VDF2GgcsrrtFEu0/?imgmax=800" height="300" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="buffalochase" width="448" /></a> <em>…but this big bull’s having nothing of it!</em></div>
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The girls have a healthy number of cubs between them, aged around 9 months. They were all very happy to munch on the kill, until one of the lionesses caught a baby gazelle. The fawn wasn’t eaten, but provided an essential lesson for the cubs, who took it in turns to practice their predatory techniques. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAO0Bc0pYThzr4-zH5vT8wEsA8Jd9iAig_GLgWClUB0eid3eY4IXzcTuoBM059jB46mveFITrR499SCQiVrPCMWzsp1xa5PFPkSTryWIfBLeJNV5kihMwjinm4ekxtMiYKuzucPVXgAUs/s1600-h/cubtommy3.jpg"><img alt="cubtommy" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWf7S54iVK1qb2OFsb70_ZZ_45I-2X4AMyobxSpfuDSqB_qdbWLAKfmthhi8zt6ZBbpf3xHuHJO2hhn9qBfZsLGg1Uj7JHzoWd7b_I4pKfhR4l3N9yuRYQZyd_O77A2JkR4_IJOoJl7M/?imgmax=800" height="304" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="cubtommy" width="454" /></a> <em>Not even a mouthful for this young cub, but an important lesson in survival</em></div>
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One cub stood out amongst the rest. At around 4-5 months old, the little cub has no siblings his own age, but plenty of older brothers and sisters around for entertainment. I’ve never seen such a playful cub – he was a joy to watch trying out his moves on the wildebeest carcass and tackling his mum and aunties at any opportunity. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnt1QGPvUVVt3nfK-1bWJN0oDyjLL4MgYjiOYMv56v-j5uZs-qgnB5vATb29xroUjv_0NTh7WoR7ciiQ1RDZQsFmVNYy4JHxLPYUdAO7H3HV8gimCJy7hnpzvzqfsv5ekZl69fmEookR4/s1600-h/cubs4.jpg"><img alt="cubs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6EqEPLTai1aCxF5EXbeSkJApfmsm3P8KklF4PeS3ZVgcgqJFL36GlzDQgekAlrKsPADEoxhY-n4n47X3F8TME5RIg3dAqwyReNWHL9RGnz_vuck-MOtV7dBMxduazo2LT7bhkS3hSV_w/?imgmax=800" height="305" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="cubs" width="456" /></a> <em>This little one’s not taking trouble from anyone!</em></div>
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I’m impressed to see such a healthy, strong pride in the Olare Orok, and look forward to spending more time with them. Along with the Moniko and Ridge Prides, there’s plenty of lions to keep me busy. </div>
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Sara</div>
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-58228838556083863322010-07-19T11:23:00.001+03:002014-06-30T12:15:23.485+03:00Simba mingi in the OOC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This month I’ve been generously offered a base at Mara Plains camp in the Olare Orok Conservancy for a fortnight. Bordering both the Mara North Conservancy and the Masai Mara National Reserve, the OOC is a beautiful area full of long grass, twisting luggas and rolling hills m, and is full of lions. It’s a hugely important region for conservation – lions and other large carnivores don’t adhere to political boundaries, and there is a constant movement of predators across the conservancies.<br />
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There are three camps in the Olare Orok Conservancy – <a href="http://www.maraplains.com/" target="_blank">Mara Plains</a>, <a href="http://www.porini.com/" target="_blank">Porini Lion Camp</a>, and <a href="http://www.kicheche.com/" target="_blank">Kicheche Bush</a>. I’m hoping to get all three camps involved in lion monitoring – it’s an exciting time for the project and myself, and there’s certainly no shortage of simbas!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEayeGAMlrsXoWux_ffWN7DuHZGAN1pF9FIMGhmixOfnEzh7hr8_gbkC2b_eAhIt-POEa-rzhnPKcpUhHYr0VYQbhqLw7_FM45_dqKYeWPz4fSuGMuKiYw0ksUl7FHsTZTNfcEV6Oit70/s1600-h/OOC1%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="OOC1" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvQBMlotl-9qiaGK-Q_lY4sDipgThQpwFlMxkwgUpnOpUcXAKxMMHaTMWw-giGJkKO-lOUhd22Yhi4Q3mjSLGAUhGyIqJqOZ6m_rOltp7OBgTuXlIru1oma7ujIQlNzx3ZnrSgzjC7qk/?imgmax=800" height="281" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="OOC1" width="419" /></a><em>There’s plenty of cubs in the OOC – a good sign that this population is thriving</em> </div>
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Shivani Bhalla, from the Ewaso Lion Project, has already been to Porini Camp to engage the guides in lion monitoring. Together with the guides she managed to identify some 50 individuals in the conservancy, which covers approximately 23,000 acres. Shivani does fantastic work in Samburu, working hard to save lions throughout the region. Please check out her work at <a href="http://www.ewasolions.org/">www.ewasolions.org</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNa7pw_jaaDRJuoWcD3del_WhUXcTGMCKXJqLkFWXx-M-ftUpmdHtS3cIXn38lWA5jO-FhbJJYy5BMIRO3LDnEVPSVRYk6RrT63reRszXSHz00tOEjFMU1p847u0fQjAFf7E6siQYHFw/s1600-h/OOC2%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="OOC2" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGwYdOE93ayxvtjRZsyZri1Ijw8Qcjr0hjwNPrT2rrWI1VSBGhZUgizGl1_-wq8kDGaKAWoyZ6zgwK8_NRVfzMlGDBKZ-FmlXLprNAkDEHfW0l0CxooCHSche_rkq4aehg7Mk0M2HIDA/?imgmax=800" height="292" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="OOC2" width="436" /></a><em>An OOC lioness watches the wildebeest flood in</em> </div>
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It’s going to be an interesting and action packed few weeks – it’s common knowledge that the two main prides – the Motorogi Pride and the Engoyonai Pride – are at war. It will be very interesting to find out just how many of the previously identified individuals remain in the area, and which pride comes out as the top cats. With the migration well under way and gazillions of gnu pouring in, there’s already plenty of activity on the plains. <br />
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A big thank you goes to the Richard and the staff at Mara Plains for the opportunity to work within the OOC. Watch this space for some new lion faces and exciting stories!<br />
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Sara</div>
Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-30303555694787883542010-06-17T15:35:00.002+03:002014-06-30T12:15:31.270+03:00Charm’s New Arrivals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For some weeks now, Charm’s been looking very full. And I don’t think it’s all down to her sharp eyes and teeth! For about a week, Charm has distanced herself from the rest of the pride, and has been hunting and resting alone. Yesterday we found out why!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCL3JKkRcLMzG44fnb405nbyQMRVMg5dPSiojMvl8MNrpqEmsPsD-My7E8ADjNBvHUcjermLiMPGZAlTSaHs3wiwD-GTtRu85CMzT5HJ1-cwsLUKVFLvOsoA-IzPgx0dviv0XS_ccS3I/s1600-h/fatgrace%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="fatgrace" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtR4E7gZ_ZtKLQ2f0AgknAai_kbuPNJdaZ90gwO6PlBo-BkSy3OGmUwszFbR9rJlUuEDMZVG6-sWVjBKYbHW0sL6R15i7-DQr_kZfgXKCRAnmvZ1E0rriy-2IAhM5Ve-22cBwgIKpn7s/?imgmax=800" height="239" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="fatgrace" width="357" /></a> <em>I think it’s more than just warthog in there…</em></div>
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Yesterday I found Charm hidden deep in Maternity Lugga. She had with her some tiny cubs, probably no more than a week old. Although I didn’t manage to count them, it is thought that she has three cubs – this is actually the typical number for lionesses. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIrxQ-kCBMHymQE0Z86HeR7_xrqGbaImQEXL9o2KJ5fQgA6GO5VBM2hlZBB-nQo-JZAORnSd9hY2TIt3DxMBq0_ibfRGP7z5mJw3jGEbnPlaziFxyc0vhc4xJfKMRJTSrcBp7pXV9qdg/s1600-h/charm%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="charm" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3IeyFTRu81j0AMbw65HiENOsvYltQmL4tMW_MRV-QbCL0xaY_gvyWYFnTMeTz8OGhzfcuqAsybMciHWeLlnbx1xRYcHhCef89N_FkX8QE18S026LRYysVhtxtLPsVq9SvALwubkFSIg/?imgmax=800" height="239" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="charm" width="357" /></a> <em>Charm’s the last of the Three Graces to raise cubs this year</em></div>
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With an impressive pride of mature, feisty lionesses behind her, Charm’s bound to do well raising her cubs. Already there are six cubs with White Eye, Bibi and the other Graces, plus Hasani and Matajo, Joy’s two teenage boys. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDMnlwy4T8YxShwh9oRvBgp6QrlmKwuYpbBKAIQh1fRUFJJdDc2Tov_rkxwwTLkt4D0cETbnqTBohbxLLduks9gg5HwbRgEd6erLQFGOOmE9J3o41esgxzU_Ep_Apd3gL9VcHKOUjBt70/s1600-h/sienacub2%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="sienacub2" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRGA8ufj6Oc4H9aZG2B-dbINc4iw5Z4lhLm1UzjeZORNqGOPKMsVY9fyKkHQjrtGnhv88S89vtWexC1R75yMJ-IHn4weHNxXIfLUcdqc5wir-lFqvGG5wLM5JbA6gFyzVqdXtHMVJEt8/?imgmax=800" height="239" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="sienacub2" width="357" /></a> <em>This little cub will soon have even more siblings to play with!</em></div>
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Charm will keep her cubs hidden until they are old enough to follow her around comfortably. New mums are very secretive, and she will only spend fleeting moments with her sisters. If the pride move back to their home, Musiara Marsh, she may be forced to move the cubs. It’s also up to Clawed and Romeo to protect the pride from any other males, as a turnover would be disastrous for the new cubs. </div>
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It looks like the Marsh Pride will be back to full strength soon – Joy has also been mating with a number of males in the area, and so Charm’s new cubs won’t be the youngest for long!</div>
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Sara</div>
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-66013634410797515882010-05-24T20:16:00.001+03:002014-06-30T12:15:40.696+03:00Cat Fight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It’s no secret that many of the savannah’s predators don’t get on. Whether it’s through competition for food or as a threat to their young, lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena will do their best to avoid each other or drive the opposition away, depending on the pecking order. <br />
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Even though they generally occupy different habitats and specialize on different prey, lion and cheetah definitely don’t mix. On a hunt for lion, I came across three cheetah brothers who sometimes visit the MNC. These boys – Honey’s sons – are spectacular; they’re fit and healthy, probably owing to the fact that they hunt cooperatively. Looks like they’re learning a lesson or two from our social cats!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8q0QkWLKjUE9hcR-ggglXqoTuZRSrbWyXDkumwhiIYxoRrD6I6sSA_8BzSl4xzlx6mcQ8yq868dPMRyafjXT2lVhyBbW_MLYU8m8drZgFKMwCJWOZmKYyeIospwh09ADL0n7hXzvgTOk/s1600-h/cheetahspray3.jpg"><img alt="cheetahspray" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCnOFggffe60Zv6DYJUkToEkYA9dOJjCRHZ9RnVAvQtWMCeBQPPdY5MvcLsQF-_UvgeZh9YsQM_QCpz3UwXv8aUsqFTkDXXdyqeVXXsbtseHXYtllqf8FINCGydGuCaA9PasRuOIi-Z4/?imgmax=800" height="295" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="cheetahspray" width="440" /></a> <em>The three cheetah mark their territory – they have a huge range</em></div>
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The cheetah suddenly became nervous, and I could soon see why. In the distance loomed two big male lions – a serious threat to the three sleek, thin-framed cats. Even though they’re the fastest animal on land, cheetah can still be outwitted by lion over longer distances. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOzzPg7uidZqVI9Dcp0mQtxwuELgojWUthuzPzDwdcqcv9HbYs4Q2SmONsuO8W0nbxssgLvxmIBMC0rDHzrZBT4vnQamkhPvG1D5aNwgKIf0apFBvRbWWCfvE1kzh5BPEz2kaiKmktGg/s1600-h/cheetah3.jpg"><img alt="cheetah" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ndgywhdtKJVSrW4J7giJhYXMMOCt0IB5O6XvUHAvhPOVgz6sEfNt4WwicrBKaCR2bxDbyDWVASZ8ddnv-EEtFQXMBHIuVXipwltqqxXZB83Y94vdKAH3-JjesP7NliSoF3dhApfaGeg/?imgmax=800" height="305" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="cheetah" width="456" /></a> <em>Time to make a run for it!</em></div>
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The boys made a run for it, with the two males hot on their trail. I identified them as Samir and Shambe – two of the three boys who have been mating with Lilly, Sita and Nura from the Cheli Peacock pride. The males looked thin, and certainly weren’t going to tolerate the competition. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmSfoGPwOCtupWPttd3s07J_BSyavlfShIQ81QQ2x3rnO6urWjG3I71tRQ2jpV4GW_o_xNaeqJfJVCvX09XQydzqPqZ3QfN0BFKGadfTlFAXoK7JdkxVGIrtqSPCGRaZ6Ag1jZ2dz8CQ/s1600-h/cheetahchase3.jpg"><img alt="cheetahchase" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvRcRUVlWqc7RAC6NJXdIJ76wNbo7n2F7r8W1e2nipwlYL6Z6ARcgFqU5GqaACEiQFYmxLcKfpA-drSLlD7v2Yy8rFSixHKWgtgQESebf-KTOa3yTAHoqUUuv6nR1rAouPFgCw1r1jIak/?imgmax=800" height="311" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="cheetahchase" width="464" /></a><br />
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<em>Shambe chases the cheetah</em> </div>
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No sooner had the cheetah scarpered, then a strange lioness appeared. She approached with caution, but was greeted warmly by the pair. I identified her as Joy, one of the three Graces. Not only then are the Marsh Pride out and about in the MNC, but their sisters, the Three Graces, are paying a visit, too. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnC3RAuRr0QzJJdK8nMW3-_ixASN-jA7H0K5qOka9cb2mLTwo4_vHjypuEqg33euJzvpzh9bhcyNdd18FWYkzzUGosOpNo2J3mycV8PaCyp15MhWRIIne4JmdrEsyg0-CgyABt2y-ynXM/s1600-h/joygreet3.jpg"><img alt="joygreet" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgENXcZpgWiHppwcixsHWPSkweLETOrG00pitD3xZ50LSs3MNFDTLhvX8_R9303fIJnJZt9cWr6HdaMOMDBvu3ISLB4F5fCEFaFSbH8VweuzXi2KCgvYmk3mRvHoWR1AInVHvGL-y2fQ/?imgmax=800" height="302" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="joygreet" width="451" /></a> <em>Joy approaches cautiously</em></div>
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Joy still has two adolescent cubs, and isn’t ready to have another litter yet. But who knows if one of these boys will be the father of her next cubs? With Siena babysitting, the rest of the pride are still around the area. I’m off to go find them and see what else they get up to. <br />
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Sara</div>
Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-80525819256540065832010-05-20T16:42:00.004+03:002014-06-30T12:15:51.113+03:00Introducing the New Website!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The beauty of the Mara Predator Project is that anyone who visits the Mara North Conservancy, surrounding conservancies and the northern reaches of the Masai Mara can take part and help us to monitor lions. This is because we use non-invasive methods to identify and track lions, which are simple and easy to use. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfNc-wxkXgBCpGF06LTPI5YDtvSuct-JEPLkJ95h9wX_1r23p4ATj2uQeyua5TB1GWTAlIau_dyvbAA72pWDdFABBx30z9OBVXAutYApxN6xphCrH4-Lii7bXB5Q24_XJOgoG88GxTAA/s1600-h/me%20with%20marsh%20lion%20small%5B13%5D.jpg"><img alt="me with marsh lion small" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjhAN7CBtXx3ZFUErsb-Ed1_mKXq539Nu2CGRU-9HjUsh4IxVqC6iG1XEBnkjEYy7gEdtjPNY7ii9uODpbwUHbbu-akfRFacPdwDslabMpKDxDavj3Z3BDw4YFkaKZIg_vlJ0nONU1p4/?imgmax=800" height="267" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="me with marsh lion small" width="401" /></a><em><br /></em></div>
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<em>When a lion is found, it is identified. We don’t need to use collars to track our lions.</em> </div>
We’ve redesigned <a href="http://www.livingwithlions.org/mara" target="_blank"><span style="color: white;">our website</span></a> to make it easy for everyone to take part in monitoring lions. Guides and visitors to the area help to track lions by photographing them, and trying to identify which one they’ve seen. The new website makes this a lot easier, by narrowing down potential lions by their gender, age, location and distinguishing features such as mane size and nose colour. The correct lion can then be picked out by studying the whisker spots and ear tears. <br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_CX8NZBgNuE8/S_U8B2PBcwI/AAAAAAAAAig/UaAq_bdRsag/s1600-h/screenshot%20copy%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="screenshot copy" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_CX8NZBgNuE8/S_U8HIuIp7I/AAAAAAAAAik/ur76Frfrm-M/screenshot%20copy_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="454" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="screenshot copy" width="388" /></a><em><br /></em><br />
<em><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span>You can search for your lion using key identifying features</em><br />
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The new website has tons of information on how to identify and age lions, and how to take part in the project. One cool feature is that each lion has its own sightings page, allowing anyone to track where the lion was last seen. The new site also has a section for each conservancy and participating lodge.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWwmBnhyphenhyphenReBb2P3L5ZJs0I5eK_jRKdZy7NmVhsso93Z7-4yUsNTufcWBhcvLjromxJH_ghyphenhyphenzb6uuRCEWuuInn2HkNZBLf-tMziix3UFV_N6sbsrx52m6iVBnv6mghaIpEABRdX3jfAuU/s1600-h/screenshot2copy%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="screenshot2copy" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_st-fWh3EQA-MbeK_Rq87lxT336VOsLnxODfdARr-u0mNinDr5gM0WAnCPpIRqo0u27cK0WeUmvEoahRCcJcpVqIagazQUA2eMoQCK7Qc04ZfNhPNFqF2_MC229iZX04I1RwtEuXfs7w/?imgmax=800" height="408" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="screenshot2copy" width="395" /></a> <em><br /></em></div>
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<em>It’s easy to take part – the online guides show you how</em></div>
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A huge thank-you goes out to the guys at <a href="http://www.bespokeinternet.com/"><span style="color: white;">Bespoke Internet</span></a>, who worked hard to produce a wonderful website and fully functional database – not an easy task. It looks brilliant, too!<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Visit the new site at </span></strong><a href="http://www.livingwithlions.org/mara"><strong><span style="color: #eece6f; font-size: 130%;">www.livingwithlions.org/mara</span></strong></a></div>
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Sara</div>
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-5597758214910848042010-05-14T15:57:00.004+03:002014-06-30T12:15:59.983+03:00The Cowardly Lion!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday I heard that two new males had gotten themselves in a spot of bother. Long story short, one lion had to rescue his brother from a very angry herd of buffalo!<br />
Becky and Matt, two guests at Serian Camp, saw the event unfold. After finding Nura (Silver), the couple noticed a herd of buffalo surrounding a tree. The herd looked somewhat agitated, and so they went over to have a closer look. What should they find but a young male lion trembling precariously in the branches of a thorny acacia?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHM-ONGEmKR2yt-3LOQhjJVKEIKHJvF0sYhhM78FN9_fLpQjgNVnO5JOLJSl5O8ZNiK9YIr8GODVgMjOaFE_WX8tcpVCoJhyphenhyphentF3RmKzC5La8b2Sg3SmZyM3AarciD4YDDp_NHLwwoSTc/s1600-h/bufftree%5B6%5D.jpg"><img alt="bufftree" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjJWFrBTDbEaQrjBDT8vr4U8cdysPtnXYFtyEBEE9xH6UuRthaMNQZqX6VBr79nquzETytwbjxJHcOIet3HPcVpaNcMMd2Rgte9KHtdeAJYZiPcfIxLVsi3RFsI_khRrpXlNHfhnPUJo/?imgmax=800" height="271" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="bufftree" width="409" /></a> <em>This boy’s in a spot of bother!</em></div>
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It’s certainly no myth that lion and buffalo don’t get on. What was this young lion going to do? Lucky for him, help was on the way. Another male, most probably his brother, distracted the herd by circling upwind and luring the angry buffalo away. He led them on a wild goose chase across the plain, giving his brother enough time to slink timidly out of his prickly perch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxH9xRXb47J2xiWnN8u6-t16OZN6l7erijpuDbNV0Tgo7N44IYQAYluuolvmBLyUaLI7qn_eKK6VQR2QRLNVMo1QSm04c4E5nAISKMk0yypbrpjBls-T_wUex8dix6UIFpQlg2YaghcG0/s1600-h/tree%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="tree" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwskyuHPLb-i4bKcXJlYAq_S43skdQedvvU2eSApn80FqS3gNEvoEsb7jSYWe1yK2PPTFRDdnqq0Reiy8RN31-wJJdjIAl-IJSyBVndqK4tTwTNnepnmzQvY6OmIV1AWfsoOqk3qb5eE/?imgmax=800" height="268" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="tree" width="404" /></a> <em>Is it safe out there yet?</em></div>
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Buffalo will often kill cubs and young lions, and demand some respect. On the flip side, however, buffalo aren’t always safe – in certain parts of Africa, such as the Okavango Delta, male lions specialise in buffalo.They certainly present themselves as a tasty feast, if a lion can get past those mean horns, that is!</div>
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These boys are new to me, so I’ll be working hard to find them over the next few days. Here’s hoping they don’t get themselves in any more trouble!</div>
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Thanks to Becky and Matt for the brilliant pictures.</div>
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Sara</div>
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-78457710092386928712010-05-09T16:50:00.003+03:002014-06-30T12:16:08.425+03:00The Marsh Pride’s Family Vacation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This morning I drove out of camp to be met by a gang of thirteen very special lions. Within the bunch was a number of youngsters, along with some familiar faces. <br />
Just outside of Serian, Chemi-Chemi (the spring) is in the northern reaches of the Mara North Conservancy on the Mara River. It’s certainly some distance from the Musiara Marsh, which is why I was surprised to identify the lions as none other than the infamous Marsh Pride. <br />
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<img alt="marshpride" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dvHlTgVn90kBcJeyAe0rP481bRRtsaOtwZcFdWFZOleCqQ4ykIrdTyAy9UyYtFsGuksN02H_-_NrSKivookgPt-PpmK3AIWXaZ11QG-06om7uW6Z-jZdxfoynNVrygw1nSO1nxxBMjg/?imgmax=800" height="262" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="marshpride" width="443" /><br />
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<em>How many lions?!</em></div>
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Four adults – Siena and Joy, Bibi and White Eye were lazing in the sun with Romeo and a whole assortment of cubs. Joy's two male cubs, now around 15 months old, and six cubs around 5 months old – four belonging to White Eye and two to Siena – were all happily playing in the long grass and exploring their new environment. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7cbDIdXvK_o3qyzXYE4A4YT2ovMuFctPJfetAH81WpYFrIOwSiiI1A3KYF9ya1p8IkMfZJxmghAyXaIQtcpCWnHx6zAyJZAouUwBNHSw_655JzbkDA38i-wIUOsZXw5FEja7s48z7Fo/s1600-h/climb%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="climb" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi3K-fOqeEEJ10RKMYDY-G7qO2l-W7M5UBDUgK03LoFEUa7PRz12iWkzhKYMzY7-VS5KB2g2E7r7FQmF9CwV7IXtFF8Y_avh5Ktw01FLU3-bVP2Y3c1AR2SWnMk7KfZoMnTO4XwSbBu4/?imgmax=800" height="395" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="climb" width="288" /></a> <em>The cubs practiced their tree climbing skills amongst the Acacia</em></div>
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The pride have been slowly working their way into the conservancy, and have been spotted on a number of occasions. Although they are far from their home, the territory is open, as many of the River Pride lions are residing on the escarpment. Romeo too has visited the area often to mate with new females. <br />
A lion’s pride territory is not as fixed as you’d think. Although lions spend a lot of time in a core area, prides rangers are large and overlapping. However, two prides will not occupy the same shared territory at the same time, and will advertise their presence to neighbouring prides by roaring. <br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_CX8NZBgNuE8/S-a9g__gs7I/AAAAAAAAAiA/mmVPYRkPQlE/s1600-h/whiteeye%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYaoqC1LYt8XEuJGd7bKicVEhTubc9CRousoKcWbuuVeQyVAYK4QBWFzTB5UQ7bRd1Z0ZwWfPemaaSaZN06yBiOmYDKkVtVdNTX4aezVbIIeKuL9Ouh3nJX6EJR-3QUNrEed5RW2ufAQ/?imgmax=800" height="291" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="" width="412" /></a><em>White Eye the one-eyed lioness. A caring mother but also a fierce hunter</em> </div>
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The Marsh Pride is also in a state of flux – with Clawed (Mpengo) seemingly absent, Red no longer with us and the five sub-adults from the females’ last litters, the large family has split into a number of sub-groups. It seems that White Eye and Bibi are forming an alliance with the Three Graces – including Siena and Joy – whilst Lispy remains with the daughters of the pride. Lispy has also been seen flirting with two handsome chaps from the border of the Marsh. Perhaps Romeo and Clawed’s reign is facing an uncertain future?<br />
However the pride forms, here’s hoping that the Marsh females will be as successful at raising this family as they were with the last. They’ve got a lot of experience on their paws!<br />
Sara</div>
Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-6986834874074768372010-04-13T19:08:00.004+03:002014-06-30T12:16:19.723+03:00A Dangerous Duo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Big males are pouring into the Mara North Conservancy left right and centre. Not only have three young males joined the three Cheli and Peacock lionesses, but there are now two impressive boys on the scene. Seen down Ereyet Angopito – where Kioni is usually found– this pair are on the hunt for their own pride. <br />
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<img alt="male2" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_CX8NZBgNuE8/S8SWcPa-f2I/AAAAAAAAAhg/g3IzM6T_wMM/male2_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="463" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="male2" width="311" /><br />
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<em>One of the males with an impressive dark mane</em></div>
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I’m not sure where these boys have come from, or how long they will spend in the area. They could simply be travelling through, and I’ll have to keep a lookout for them before I know more. Nura, Lilly and Siti are in season and mating with the three younger males – perhaps this pair have come to challenge them? Caesar still hasn’t been seen, and he’d better be careful – one of these males he may be able to handle, but together, these boys pose a real threat to Caesar.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSm9QZRgePOtb9wldb8ioaOwHoO_55ijBzewMH-uiV6KyKhcaBOsUQF1OZcPWHoUBnCqI3YzjRo-J3YMf9EvV-3iSAh__pJatLK1tB00-LzpqHxUA_U77ESI74w6bu_-8Z2xdUHZ8d_A/s1600-h/newmalw3%5B6%5D.jpg"><img alt="newmalw3" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFA-xUGD02AxcIBqXFs-03x76llvzcRzAg3vX9xWkAo0Zhl6ySQqWle2teIIuiQZ5C7w3folP86m9zEnkWZxDtOcNPEyg-E9YyOQlxtj5C3qVLDS9Qa0hi5hAH_xsaaF5CjCh9rktdZs/?imgmax=800" height="450" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="newmalw3" width="302" /></a><br />
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<em>‘Aswad’ means ‘black one’ – his mane is a lot darker than his companion’s. </em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTzKWyNK7gwNUyZYpL1H1CHctS5bqN51zG-ky_u937n5kddsQRLEoJTbK_ktQ0Xea4JS_ipXdc8eARi9gYrXl2n7AlCvhpblhyphenhyphenQx0eMqin4Sf1S6Ief70vRaMrs07oEr2eqXeEMigAWQ/s1600-h/new%20male%202%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="new male 2" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBKq28rynzapIreHdQ8V-2eu8oEeEFiF9daGcEKxbedb7ufEE_3otpdUTSapmFHT_-AgPnSlvUJJ_eYcreDzcxMqUZ830AJz_ZGQMkHlyBEO8u1MNnGH29edIx4bOEQDFVEEM4ewrNQ8/?imgmax=800" height="286" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="new male 2" width="426" /></a> ‘<em>Sango’ is Aswad’s companion.</em></div>
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These two have earned the names ‘Aswad'’ – meaning the black one – and ‘Sango’, which means ‘braided hair’ – his mane is slightly matted in places. Sango is probably slightly younger than Aswad, as his nose is still pink and his mane is not as well developed. He’s probably around 5-6 years old. Both of these males have a distinctive left ear, in particular Sango, pictured above. <br />
I’ll let you know if these boys are here to stay. With five new males in the area, who knows what will happen through the rest of the rainy season?<br />
Sara</div>
Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-2934320069890689962010-04-07T16:48:00.003+03:002014-06-30T12:16:34.512+03:00A Turnover?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For the past few months, Caesar has been top dog in the Cheli and Peacock pride. After Siti and Lilly lost their cubs, Caesar mated with them. Together with Silver’s little of four, fathered by Caesar, the pride was set to build rapidly in numbers. <br />
However, upon my return, Caesar is nowhere to be seen. There are thoughts that he may be with Lilly, who is rumoured to have a new litter, but as of yet, we’re in the dark. It’s been over 2 months since the big boy was seen. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNKa3YtiCCtPBaxkQUl_MR72bQ01ogLMYpUwyDtwE5PYeid7thpJkI7F3lOto1eSmOl92F5o4lneT05ELZia6YL-5zfCUrV_zVzWFtGLVXqU3TwULK5VH5gXfMo8n2Ukx0KeTh2z5shs/s1600-h/ladylooks13.jpg"><img alt="lady looks" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqUsSKKtpk-Bni2e8AwmfmWhUo4wvWmwT3W33HferrjbMpwi_SH5W2so09MehHpBLc5JZhQD8u5t0DOjCeVeOskDfyQq9AJHTN5PnPdkxsBgw86pZWFIaFXYvydnpdsbKf3yh9WUReUM/?imgmax=800" height="224" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="lady looks" width="334" /></a><em>Siti looks out: where’s Lilly and Caesar?</em></div>
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In his place with the Cheli and Peacock pride are three strapping young lads. Around 4 years old, this trio are strong enough to compete with a lone male like Caesar, and they certainly show it. Buffalo and elephant are a firm favourite with these boys – they’re not messing around! It’s typical for young adult males to form coalitions when they’re forced to leave their natal pride – it allows them to co-operate in hunting, steal kills from hyena and other predators, and gives them a major advantage for acquiring their own pride. Whatever the deal is with lions, there’s always strength in numbers. This is what makes lions so successful as the only social cat. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExls1qsH-xsK9YMp5gwwiaOGMKTM0TegxbOGx7DxmBzcxbhjDD-qzF_a7Vl6bSgjveFMCCZaAwU8qGQfmAKpETUQxMxoj0il7uLVee870_-1hXettQCd8a0LdefOQBxJHmLH-rFm4f10/s1600-h/threemales27.jpg"><img alt="threemales2" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNXgxlYRJav4xGqTfpWi5DiZIcRLrUzNCBEKzBiS7mxEJAVMD_siKSg-lyE4xyzS5htW9yzdvWDImKdURSFHgV7VSw7ndEQyffouqjO7nO_5_SXy9_T9NDfhOdRxzku3jj4yRewYm3IM/?imgmax=800" height="365" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline;" title="threemales2" width="245" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLforpkSVGoaJoj76KAH6wnq7BnESZY8rITlUY7D9ZO9U_84zf_mmhk4D_JwOmy1HEdj9iwiMjPjGPO77Asq-wLdMfZShrGGBJ2yZbxGlvCmGD8mVDudA-Z5VC5M93O4fJAj4P2BpXBHQ/s1600-h/threemales17.jpg"><img alt="threemales1" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKerqE_eDTJ3sDLtlc-KXaHKXdCOjEgo3qddKcF7GsJksmVEoJ1kr4Q4_7ayswccUsGYpcTKbGrAuBS1fVV6GzS4T7jEt_50Sfg5ZerJ7TspJC5_XwviWZB1QA6ivDfrqhrh0izRNCAO8/?imgmax=800" height="365" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline;" title="threemales1" width="246" /></a> <br />
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<em>Two of the three boys: they’re about 4 years old</em></div>
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Unfortunately, Silver’s four tots are nowhere to be seen. Both her and Siti have been with the three males for some time now, and it’s unlikely that they would tolerate young cubs belonging to Caesar. It’s a real shame – all three lionesses have now lost at least one litter each, and with rogue males prowling the conservancy, who knows if their next litters will be safe?<br />
It’s certainly a trying time for these four girls. I hope that whichever males join them stay for long enough for them to successfully raise their cubs to adulthood. <br />
Sara</div>
Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-49948789509099153562010-03-24T17:17:00.003+03:002014-06-30T12:16:47.682+03:00Changing Scenes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So I’m finally back in the Mara North Conservancy after spending some time in the UK developing a new lion database. Hopefully everyone will find it easy to use, and enjoy it, too. I’ll let you know when it goes live. <br />
Things have changed in the MNC – the rains are here, and everywhere the grass is green and lush, and rather long. It’s a bit of a challenge getting around. There’s a distinct lack of grazers both here and in the reserve, but leopard and hyena numbers are at an all time high. As for the lions, there’s some familiar faces around, most prominently the Cheli sub-adults, who are up to no good as usual…<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YHdmB9R0dU9Lq0lcKsgWmAXxriKttm2gnL7pb81D_vmvEiRWLH4n6Qfbtad3Z12RhfTMbYq7HqpEgax5gWIadkHLRkhVOEw63ZFL1I6kgiq3zyTLrjUSTo-xnnAJyWoJ9jWL27tGR04/s1600-h/punch%5B6%5D.jpg"><img alt="punch" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5G7YVRUY1bE6Wg3GvhcE4nSoykpOh82QJMTblAR5y4Jdx1YXcnK6GwcuUyN-meJcB6bJRhUVSAGBp_qRQXhz7okkK8E08KFU8bJp6Jy3h6jOAqs3wacKR5bKgNUJer2Awn6RCrgyCsA/?imgmax=800" height="232" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="punch" width="346" /></a> <em>Maskio (meaning ‘ears’) and Amber play rough</em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NfcOwmN129DCP0mF62z9_SMWo9OVMx_F5v24H-jl0_uSyYI_2FPiVjjqmB2v8tLpka9B_W7q_dUzKhiQRhJAOObMofjuJJqg-C2v5V_bBJjbHFgVlSkWEkNREYQ4DeQudxkKu7dBhh8/s1600-h/fall%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="fall" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONOm4hQsfpFPWVqkeTEcxp0MxAklg3fQZXJz8sz7Fs1tisn-YDCvP7honRgrluroPUzHdR3Ly8CRNsvM8DcFVjV8uEp1FMHgl5cET1fwgkq2UgJJbbsxbWNheMVTwG4EBvviMtQu1qVg/?imgmax=800" height="233" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline;" title="fall" width="348" /></a> </div>
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<em>No way I’m going to lie on the muddy floor and mess up my fur!</em></div>
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The lion scene is changing, too. Marley’s group has split, interestingly, and the younger cub Mtoro and his pride-mate Maji have joined up with Cheli cubs. Kioni, Marley and the other youngsters haven’t been seen for a while, and there is no clue as to why Mtoro and Maji are now on their own. <br />
It’s highly unusual for unrelated lions to join another group, and I’m still not sure what the true outcome of this pairing will be. Yesterday morning, Mtoro was on the receiving end of a little bullying, but in the afternoon, everyone was snoozing together quite happily. Sebastian and Rescue are already looking impressive, and good on these young lions for doing so well without mum. <br />
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<img alt="william&cheli" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBjkPApQfrN5fT4ceckLtj9FgRjQcYaGDMxUv6mtQT1XKWm52HDM3zqxopqJORTHzt5YK6ub5TWDv6IQz_gSE4k-tkQp-zL82bWMh_Z9njnr5o4aiG8hQIj1y0ugugXXByH_HVjt088c/?imgmax=800" height="233" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="william&cheli" width="347" /><br />
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<em>Mtoro (right) with Rescue and Sebastian (standing).</em></div>
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In other news, an elephant carcass brought in predators and scavengers far and wide. Together with the drizzle it made for an interesting – if somewhat grisly – photography opportunity. I’m now armed with a video camera, so hopefully there will be some videos coming this way before too long. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDfUG9M55wVUc5d10ngbeRuBYFP42qrTJaTMbNxgJHh-MnxUU_mNg-I2yOrwUKvaHLA-JkzZP1_c1TexynX5yTgGyazaGbGLA6F4a0v96K4CnGLJN6pnipwE2kCi7l-k7XIqsCr10Lkc/s1600-h/willima%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="willima" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9pKTA2jAT7sxaoRSTfxBPFv8tmF-0sbiKOMY-X8e_d27I0I09Z5WIfFvgPp1JBAxlSO_p_Umimr2XdmLzX3O1OUIj9Km7UCZZ_4XOy9SaVtDBIZtaHTTZmLTtlUAzInAnXWdS6_8a0I/?imgmax=800" height="234" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="willima" width="349" /></a> <em>Poor Mtoro's a little lost. He’s been through two mums already.</em></div>
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Three new males turned up at the scene of the crime, none of whom I recognized. Males of around 4 are usually on their own or in a coalition of other males before they manage to win over their own pride. In a couple of years they should be in their prime. I’ll try and get some photographs of these boys soon. <br />
More soon. It’s good to be back!<br />
Sara</div>
Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-68953990386574699702010-01-24T23:01:00.001+03:002014-06-30T12:17:04.718+03:00Learning About Lions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I’ve been a bit quiet of late as I’m currently in the UK, working to develop the various media elements of the Mara Predator Project. Whilst this means no fieldwork for a few weeks, hopefully there’ll be a swanky new website packed full of information and cool features. It’ll be a more interactive version of the database at <a href="http://www.livingwithlions.org/mara">www.livingwithlions.org/mara</a>. <br />
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It’s a good chance to tell you all about some of the community work we’ve been doing along with Serian Camp. Education is a integral factor in promoting mutual coexistence between people and predators, and a key goal of ours is to help people understand the importance of lions to their community. <br />
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There’s nothing kids like doing more than getting messy, so we went to a local school to do some art activities on the subject of lions. After talking to the children about the local lions, they each drew their favourite. I have to say I was very impressed with their pictures – many of the children haven’t done art before as it’s not part of their syllabus at school. Together we made a great display for each class.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWhSQHZEmXE_3J8xo8WYuOVpidn5qAD0R_Ayx-wkYvhC4DKHEiUkMQ_88PkfT_jLj9VgXlMctcCfmz2lk64vox0o1yjtU8R9ROvlUOnFEF2hhl7tCE0rgF7NR7gairI718ssYFDRJrco/s1600-h/school1%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="school1" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHpkmcRs0tdEGJ0CiKzuFMa4WrkntOhJfAbAzhsNby6LmgNVTot3ykc-8gDWkbVrFPo52iRq-Znk72buqHcH6uJl4fzQ3VxZMjGFBnr3_HQKoeTq0TGWZf4-SkQfQPMvNhwe0zrorafk/?imgmax=800" height="410" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="school1" width="308" /></a> <em>The children each drew their favourite lions. They all really enjoyed looking</em></div>
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<em>through the photographs and books – most of them have never seen a lion.</em></div>
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All of the children helped to make a giant collaged lions head with bits of yellow card and plastic. They all really enjoyed getting messy making handprints for the mane, and soon we had a great display for the school. The lion puppets went down a treat, too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZhULlru6xCGbnTTmR6BqeHxB1vpnyPDip8tz_oB9H322xVRJkR-gUZgv6HfZ383FV5ahT_fEO5yGaapJb5OJGINrSTxIjcp18-k6DJEkixvXSdwsjoaJINL3sOBC4v8B1RGknPrjhLI/s1600-h/school%20(102)%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="school (102)" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTg8MVTyPxcpnrGgamJrCF-7PrC7a0lPUUjGT5kSd_ZDbapiUlR6nsWzE1bExjxMy7vr0kpTu3-hpJhrTdGocntcdj5fu8oIUNTcm72sDc-xlmKRppO1bof-C0h5IGdxocwSGP2nq0b8/?imgmax=800" height="404" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="school (102)" width="303" /></a> <em>Getting messy!</em></div>
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As well as being great fun, there’s a serious side to the workshops. Hopefully we can encourage the local younger generation to have a positive view of lions, and demonstrate their respect for lions through tolerance and conservation. Essentially, jobs in tourism such as guiding are highly valued, which promotes an understanding and passion for wildlife. Working with these children, as well as lodge guides, will help build positive attitudes towards lions and other predators.<br />
<img alt="lion" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lVvP90f32Q789SZbGnbD6unfatGxgMru60rIN6eG-smZTWbgipzONV4l4lTnD-ajkf-qGy05ycNzK8Tj2w9N32K-JJC8hQVVmsM2ot462FGGPcO0GS1z0Li3K31ZADi-lK-V7iF2dos/?imgmax=800" height="404" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="lion" width="303" /><br />
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Above is the finished result. Pretty good, eh??<br />
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Sara</div>
Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-52869767786864896782009-12-31T01:54:00.004+03:002014-06-30T12:17:52.780+03:00A Good Mum<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It’s been a few weeks now since Lilly introduced her cubs to the pride. Lilly never seemed comfortable, and unfortunately her two cubs didn’t survive. When I left her, Silver still had her four babies tucked away in a lugga, but they have since been introduced to her pride mates and a bigger world!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIgmxUe5Zc1r3QgqZ5unCTwqMHdavBAjSE8j9pwZXnpdNroyBSWVls6dL2BxV2mP2jvlgT-aXNp0PhWXMuGZsOuPdGFh6dlQ5sCpWefH_khxKS4F9ct3qYgRw6dKQbVmkK7VLHAXK5sU/s1600-h/four%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="four" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6Dy5rDErtYk7iKguHooGM6gVKqFKkfh0GJXm79uVCXSOON-e5nvmzAPAF-5phLqIN58STZTT_giQGXqzBCx0MeqiVODIg9A08M0CqshMRNr_JxFhAK_T2lMcSt_2gcpSWxDlP-3V7XY/?imgmax=800" height="247" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="four" width="370" /></a><em>Come on mum!</em></div>
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As you can see, these four fluffy bundles are in great health. The next few months will be a testing time for both mum and cubs, but with good rain and plenty of food, they have a good chance of making it to adulthood. These three lionesses are great hunters, and successfully raised seven cubs through this year. <br />
Following the loss of her cubs, Lilly has been mating with Caesar. If they mate successfully, Caesar will have sired three litters. Lionesses often mate with several males when they are in heat, but as the only resident pride male (and a magnificent one at that!) with no real challengers, Caesar’s building an impressive dynasty! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisO0msbOMKh1PKyNO3JmIoXMLusMkZaBC0HhmIla_ss_uJXQmy6dIq2DGFMmk_Ysk4dSWpMvzc3elFJrP73FyeIVtxeNkMCFViT0gD5wtWsy2-lvb9a-FhpXXrVlBceGKKIGjKBXy7wv8/s1600-h/caesar%20&%20lilly%5B6%5D.jpg"><img alt="caesar & lilly" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOqRYjhT8gqu_I3RhCq1aM99-3kbo8sZtcpIegPvoH0XI1W-P9c8lzWVRpZWS7FtT7-oQzJbYmeB9fsRAG36HYrY3WMQEUQi5iOPhUJhE3A0DnE24qN5q0y7R1M12pUjHWY2ysHl_dAI/?imgmax=800" height="269" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="caesar & lilly" width="403" /></a> <em>Caesar and Lilly. She can be easily recognized by the area of patchy fur by </em></div>
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<em>her left eye. She’s also rather fluffy.</em></div>
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Silver’s cubs are growing fast. They still have woolly fur, camouflaging spots and short tails. They will have to wait until they are five months of age before they grow a sleek coat and develop a tail tuft. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJzo7rhAudMsjx76y2LsAVXP5gFGGD5MxfGkhPpe3W97PgNnNXIq_4sAwY5eYjcUnB842iqxAENBwUZ9IPar0PZB7giOjnhj0Gcpm2LbxdbDpHEq2v4CacN43NjXoEy8RyuqSEbPQ5zQ/s1600-h/cub%5B5%5D.jpg"><em></em><img alt="cub" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8OrR3GHrhEEtQIwQu2nMmlc9YWu4Wy-JkSCr7iUDdRk6OvMukw7-SadCrQRDf9dnidaoPU0OTgPAWGOf9ctVuSuCHFnUaWGHr6gd01He7H63My0Qr3e2i_S-UIzX9BFye_-RkhJHBzA/?imgmax=800" height="392" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="cub" width="261" /></a><em>The cubs are growing fast!</em> </div>
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The cubs will be heavily dependant on their mother for a long time, and will suckle until they are around 6 months old. By the time they reach 3 months though they will develop a taste for meat, and will soon be fighting dad over first dibs on dinner!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkg4a31dQRsepCWz511ApyMwVRcJmOAC5VY1s8uwN33rRaRS4XYgHiPLYlMg1PR8LJg7IzMkXVBEsLR4eRLC8n6n3ClfzmQfse3_CrhnEIAi-r_VSdLsu5o4rp6fCL639LVerMpQHf-bY/s1600-h/suckling%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="suckling" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDWHgLrfYgJ2cWUwSB9MT9JDwCy5sUpnSPNbBQR3ijXLUfmzMjWlYsriTaJR4c5tKpqZXOHxmZij0B0w7t2s9yzzkzf4_3OhPdk83D-cFWRfIN18nCQJXtg7HB1w0CmPUY9-dO0kna70/?imgmax=800" height="286" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="suckling" width="429" /></a> <em>Mum has her paws full with four hungry cubs to feed</em></div>
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Hopefully we can begin the countdown to the arrival of Lilly’s cubs now. Fingers crossed that she will have more luck this time.</div>
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Happy Christmas and New Year from the Mara lions!</div>
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Sara</div>
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Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-27638545068992346552009-12-12T21:27:00.006+03:002010-05-22T11:43:59.608+03:00Facts of Life<p>The first few weeks of life is tough for little lions. They face many dangers, from heavy rains and floods to angry buffalo and sneaky hyena.<br /></p><p><br /></p> <p> </p> <p>Last week, Lilly carried her two babies to Caesar and Siti. Both cubs and mum seemed comfortable and relaxed and I felt no need to worry.</p><p><br /></p> <p> </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RlfD2jW6SWXgHZAzgT8K_XKp6hlLs1M5-hltTMXWDmFer8DSw9lcnJ20AjE-U_d8QNtuhDwTPCkABAwYuG2iKA34aOK6H1mgZHvQdLfXpCPkicL8-LxitGrsvvY4OWq-IIzAdOzTPK8/s1600-h/littleones%5B5%5D.jpg"><img title="littleones" style="border: 0px none ; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" alt="littleones" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcq2-xu_vXyXhfIBOWrwWoQbzWx6D0ZdHZ67pLzRfDxV1xO7K1SdBUbbNe5xsiYU5c-iC1p8PT3zPfoEJJre4OWCTa8Nq1BSYaPaeoRp1ovvjaDsWpSHZHx_j1Lx02CFTTKl40Ib2lcY/?imgmax=800" width="368" border="0" height="247" /></a> <em>Lilly’s two cubs snuggle close</em></p><p align="center"><em><br /></em></p> <p> </p> <p>Sadly, Lilly became increasingly detached from her babies. After introducing them to the pride a little early, one small cub was seen lying some way from the group, and sadly was not seen again. When she took the remaining cub to a kill, she devoted most of her attention to her meal, leaving the little one alone amongst hyenas. Since then, there has been no sign of the cub.</p><p><br /></p> <p> </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIg2pOUc45CPQNEQUcJwzSwHhICIjN8-Vmq7Dz9k5yEg1NW_58hjbdpjn5GOhXr5AfkTSUA_CF6tZFPlsiJDpjxEYzZuHVLr1JCDlU7Z0152YQmDgsAg4zPGAxK-pLxlwUAOfBojQ43u4/s1600-h/lilly%5B5%5D.jpg"><img title="lilly" style="border: 0px none ; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" alt="lilly" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SXTlRdOlQU0Tbff3vqbD1XoVCMtbaOX12vU_ihavOJWA4v-uNs-tmLW2tEXi-XGCzAxX74O1jnUJsBPZaUsrp6SrpIoq-8Uyl5N24hxvzpxkoQzVYbCcXSWsruL5P0cbyKnkXMcURZ8/?imgmax=800" width="283" border="0" height="422" /></a> <em>Lilly became uninterested in her babies…</em></p><p align="center"><em><br /></em></p> <p align="center"><em></em></p> <p> </p> <p>Abandonment does occur with lion cubs, but this usually occurs with single cubs or those which are weak or injured. Lionesses also abandon cubs if there is a shortage of food, although I doubt that this is the case with these powerful, healthy girls. Perhaps Lilly sensed that her cubs were not well, or felt uneasy in the presence of the other lions? She did move the cubs regularly, which may have indicated that she was not settled.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This is a real shame, but the good news is that Silver’s cubs are still doing very well. My fingers are crossed for these ones, but I think they will do just fine. Lions are capable of reproducing quickly in the right conditions, and with Caesar resident in the group, she’ll soon be mating. </p> <p> </p> <p><br /></p><p>I’ll be keeping a close eye on the remaining four little ones. This group has certainly been through rough patches with their cubs... let's hope this trend doesn't continue.<br /></p> <p> </p> <p><br /></p><p>Sara</p>Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-53702255681716588042009-12-06T19:30:00.002+03:002010-05-22T13:13:45.605+03:00First Glimpses<p>Over the past few days we’ve been lucky enough to have some snippet views of the new cubs. They’re tiny! When they’re born, lion cubs weigh less than 1% of their mother’s body weight. </p><p><br /></p> <p> </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEnFD_HOQwed9FUDZt3LHnwl7qjLZJdfBFgR_4K98Q24mY-6v6CV3sTfpjFj3AZiuj-zoGd7HfwxpvDi9jNGyF0XbL2Lls1BgorCK2I9ryQA7voSWw_MQn5mH2LR-N8at_1S19filnU8/?imgmax=800"><img title="hidden" style="border: 0px none ; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" alt="hidden" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZ8srtV53OiK3K1SNnkh84pyJPqQorJj4A8hMjCjbhaBSsvlzOx8UqjU6n8vGqZhbpKgNfJaEQoPCBMFA_J9VJv-tGYOzCpEiTM-R5ij22tP6td78YyVaAM6T_BslLZ-N3kS60DIsHqs/?imgmax=800" width="232" border="0" height="346" /></a></p> <p align="center"><em>These cubs are really well hidden – well done mum!</em></p><p align="center"><em><br /></em></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMMdPP1L0rjc0fFuy7Pr3xMQRjxhzNoxmrwhztH96brrT7yoAMBrd0n_FJRFYFNK_nwdy-PcG1UcA8p1jgNvmXXYEDBozyGjmSoh5izwI-Cr1FAE_O2GR2G8RSIw3ri-EscUEBihircY/s1600-h/tiny%20cub%5B6%5D.jpg"><img title="tiny cub" style="border: 0px none ; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" alt="tiny cub" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZjcUF9YLH2YTs6oiuFa_1tTOFt941zuOv9f-qiOOAb_pK-DGzg6-_5byFM8GTwmu-PuBHS2BC2kNhrwLan-Qqwcox_ni0HNLZICvrwlCoxZ_xS0LQISr2Qw4p3qNEEe1N3qwCb_kbRQ/?imgmax=800" width="363" border="0" height="244" /></a></p> <p align="center"><em>What a cutie!</em></p> <p align="center"><em></em></p> <p><br /></p><p>Silver has hidden her babies deep inside a lugga, away from the pride. Lilly has also been hiding her cubs, but has been seen moving them to new locations. Both the elements and animals such as buffalo and hyena pose a threat to new cubs - moving them regularly prevents them from being detected. </p><p><br /></p> <p> </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglALkF4Z4aFz9g9sypQrBfFXYcO7cMRd6Gbd4AyuXQXiW9fuIlyL9qovLwnZSTvR1oBHhh2a_EWzTo9ebu7bqnFRtM0JRtiipbLgTCx9QbIV0dWZ64zW0leQOn-QtSGbBXbxWDU8o86Ng/s1600-h/lilly's%20cubs%5B6%5D.jpg"><img title="lilly's cubs" style="border: 0px none ; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" alt="lilly's cubs" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitub0Qq10tKgSc9ykeZ9MwQkaEhgWeSB3sePBPAeszntwcQRd_Kd6fMWLabnUrDIA-sosiVYtu08fB66UhBAq7M2bxZFuYu7wWQS78i70F8moLlhPuO5IS-GVQncGPmAYJCresbjUyjN4/?imgmax=800" width="358" border="0" height="240" /></a> <em>Lilly’s two babies stay close to mum</em></p><p align="center"><em><br /></em></p> <p> </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQdoT67XUhdbujgKNyQmmJn4dQtZOHX3oUZKrXNKDId9JA7SGdApsVbNjwDVGh9sDOSy205LWJhwzHA2LmOQHqa4LktW-jcPAWghlmQSv_M8Akh3hITII7MdqqFMRVe14ph5rOHO8Cow/s1600-h/cub2%5B5%5D.jpg"><img title="cub2" style="border: 0px none ; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" alt="cub2" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSSUShKt5PKxA23VYhyphenhyphenb29qr4D95WnUjuv6Idf9QH6c5mN144iDwxSpPz7OsNTUh-t2OMLANR4aq9euhw_a1T3o7iXQhbazrUd_nvzcteuK8Lyj75yHfkj4bAWXKy5HD7YY28v6y9dLw/?imgmax=800" width="271" border="0" height="404" /></a></p> <p align="center"><em>These little ones already have a sense of adventure</em></p> <p align="center"><em></em></p> <p><br /></p><p>Yesterday was a special day for the cubs as they were introduced to the pride and to each other. This time, Caesar looked relaxed whilst Lilly brought her two little ones over to meet her pride mates. Later in the day, five cubs were seen together. They’re about two and a half weeks old and still a bit wobbly, and so are still carried by their mums. </p><p><br /></p> <p> </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEafv-Y5DIDcLA2nkDWd8MkcHdrOhoDGg07QDJgxRx-wbknC1samT7lfQMcZY0YjvKVj5RL7upxVsyN75G7Wya4HtoQqoyJmT0lJklXenjfjJtWYxc9UiNmnJs3kgwZ_gBRl_Ygyon7Oo/?imgmax=800"><img title="emcarry" style="border: 0px none ; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" alt="emcarry" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86zzMHIB_NAapfB3fwqvbDTMtGwZIPkpk6rd-KNtqNAXs3xKPeJe4PbSp6NPFg0PszT4igNTQlTO9MdN5enxsYRqh7VFR5wGBGmC7HtDChmuijNw44zC985WR-HqIWtabcK3AkI80Aho/?imgmax=800" width="267" border="0" height="398" /></a> <em>Cubs are carried for a few weeks until they can keep up with mum</em></p> <p> </p> <p><br /></p><p>We’ll have to keep a close eye on the cubs over the next few weeks. Lion cubs are most at risk during this fragile time – fewer than 20% of cubs make it to adulthood. These lionesses have just successfully raised 7 cubs to bouncy 2 year olds though, so six shouldn’t be a problem!</p> <p> </p> <p>Sara</p>Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-74205531607706664142009-11-28T22:07:00.003+03:002010-05-22T13:15:01.680+03:00More New Arrivals!<p>I’ve been twittering on about the expectation of new cubs from both Lilly and Silver, and it brings me great pleasure to announce the arrival of six new little ones!</p> <p> </p> <p>Silver has had four cubs, whilst Lilly has had two. At this early age, both of the mothers have moved away from their sister and Caesar, and are nursing their babies in thick woodland. At this age, lion cubs are at risk from buffalo, leopard, hyena and even baboons, and mum must have a careful eye. She will leave them in a safe place such as a hidden lugga whilst she hunts.</p><p><br /></p> <p> </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhi8vD-70OXGUtm5ZHc3aFwGVTodUGfkajimrh-CCA7oFiWkvTUOOCoWsCxtA3d9UArhAVIvwOF5b_dD3FIUvOADVO0J4E28HJpCdy13AnraGyJmPYH15xhuIjDgBPq2zu8IpxY62pA4/?imgmax=800"><img title="lady cub" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="373" alt="lady cub" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmRfcIGBV90NsP0nc834FHrzfvXDZRYuKhhTDI442u4RPVx3EIKA0GyEa4svdlcICsD-snFWzhqyDP9yWxfZz4BhqEj3IT3Kv8FvtzxX2TmjGbv5-46fsKzaic26pmzxekiNIUBWgh1c/?imgmax=800" width="277" border="0" /></a> <em>Mothers hide their cubs away from the pride and out of harms way </em></p> <p align="center"><em></em></p> <p><br /></p><p>When the cubs reach around three weeks of age, they will be introduced to the pride, and after a couple of months will follow their mothers around. New cubs are a joy to watch, and I hope that these new arrivals will be lucky in life. </p> <p> </p> <p>Away from the mothers, Caesar and Siti have also been mating for the past few days. This means that their previous paring was not successful. In fact, lions may have to mate up to 1,500 times for a pregnancy to occur!</p> <p> </p> <p>Both Lilly and Silver are keeping their cubs well under wraps, but I’ll post some photos as soon as I get a sneak peak!</p> <p> </p> <p>Sara</p>Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4415164664807168716.post-54355670988465264022009-11-20T13:05:00.002+03:002014-06-30T12:18:03.752+03:00Collaring Laikipia’s Lions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For the past two weeks I’ve been in Laikpia with <em>Living With Lions’</em> <a href="http://www.livingwithlions.org/laikipia-predator-project.html" target="_blank">Laikipia Predator Project</a>. I’ve been showing local lodges how to help by identifying lions and recording sightings in a similar way to our Mara project. Since 1997, the Laikipia Predator Project has helped conserve large carnivores by improving livestock practices, studying the behaviour and ecology of predators that live alongside humans, and monitoring their response to conservation action.<br />
Alayne Cotterill and Steven Ekwanga use some funky equipment to study lions in a challenging landscape. Laikipia lions are shy and elusive, and so radio collars are used to follow their movements. Whilst VHF collars allow one to physically track a lion by following a signal, GPS collars are all the rage, allowing for a lion’s movements to be continuously recorded. You can read more about collars <a href="http://www.livingwithlions.org/lion-collars.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and follow some of our GPS collared lions in the Chyulu Hills <a href="http://www.abycats.com/maps/catmap.html" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68RjQQi6kwsr7nIHtP5GoFKXQlEkKC1pCSFSU8oJmFgdljhFhvgahIozmZXw0DsZXSo0GGMK4I_R2D9hiZpmfMF9scUFILmJOiyKsczgx1PoPUeHJwSwrbGfYK3eT0n1hkXCBQh-uto0/s1600-h/nemesi%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="nemesi" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eGmhxy7oiFJQJfzpnXQddmy0t9baKnSeF0evu8TA3SBvPqZidsZUi5-BLuVBn4POGEHUZAJJRSiUX9q9-TbN2kj4l_wArYewxi_Z1Rpv21h7pKKJi-Jw9cliv9J-QBLMsnW6uCYxJ6A/?imgmax=800" height="247" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="nemesi" width="361" /></a> <em>This lion is wearing a VHF collar, which allows her to be tracked using telemetry</em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqYnI7kAPHPv1z_-v8HQqaREsEJMCtNV1Y5wA8zDz1EYNGinDqCBDne0k2a9gHzGo5QZcS0GyyaXgxnc8_mMZpBs4Gi8UGAynfmoczjzWnxYUWJXVCGm7opFia6aQ-7o0Ysqz0LEd4Ss/s1600-h/radio%20tracking%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="radio tracking" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmx597SRfrJVEiySSpbKMPVHABogHhBRWC-qw5Q8GZMQ0URuaO9z6EFE34vmfHnUC8mWlCpEjPOxrRkt2-Fgq7rcTqcvuxiW0W_7Vy1mx_qwnVpxiP2z8zqtnt15J34n3aArL6EohJXfE/?imgmax=800" height="242" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="radio tracking" width="363" /></a> <em>Hmm… where are those lions?</em></div>
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Alayne has a collared lion in every group, which allows her to track most of the lions in the vast area of Laikipia. We wanted to change one lion’s collar from a VHF to a GPS collar, a process that involved bating and darting the lion. <br />
Contrary to popular belief, collaring is neither a risk to the lion’s health or a bother to its everyday life. Lethal overdoses are impossible with the specific drugs used, and the lions show no reaction to the collar upon waking. Collars have been widely studied for their influence on animals, and all evidence shows that hunting, socialising and all other behaviours are not affected in any way. In fact, collared lions are less likely to be killed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EORQAkdXwz7UcIjHvAnssQd9blF8Fx483GH9YlcSXZPXarUzeEWSFDhdjeEIHHKRFbK4IUDpfZeZE2dgy5HE7VH44tus9GbQaMGkQuBXqZgfTai_r9AS4bjcACNTcqm37XIpU5hKINc/s1600-h/alayne%20collaring%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="alayne collaring" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyda98r0REprgBUnDwlmZ8ZoYRO7QsGH1YWZ_qbYY1L-iv17oeku4PjuXcwpA_J3HS0EyIg9b3szRCr1GX2SH92pJjD64W31yzkT7GwZS1VsOxqGg0eeQAOpG2wTqJB2cpozjZObAwt4M/?imgmax=800" height="283" style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="alayne collaring" width="377" /></a> <em>Alayne collaring a lion and taking samples for DNA analysis</em></div>
We found our lion, LF167, with her pride-mate and several sub-adults by using the VHF tracker. In order to change the collar, we needed to dart the lion to put it to sleep. With a cow carcass in tow and a recording of a baby buffalo in distress, we tried to call the lions out into a safe area for darting. It is important that the lion does not go down in thick bush to avoid distress, and unfortunately the lions we playing hard to get! We left the lions at dusk, and by the time we returned the next day, they were long gone. <br />
The information that Alayne gets from her collared lions is vital in studying their movements. Her data is showing that lions avoid communal areas with lots of people, and prefer wild game over livestock. <br />
I’m back in the Mara now and looking forward to catching up with the locals. Silver and Lilly may have had their cubs by now, and so it’s time for a scout!<br />
Sara</div>
Sara Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07042939629082321446noreply@blogger.com