Our conservation efforts...

Lion Encounter operates the African Lion Rehabilitation & Release into the Wild Program on behalf of and supported by ALERT, the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust www.lionalert.org.

Whenever possible, reintroductions should include the release of young adult wild lions captured for the purpose of translocation and release.

Where there is no available source population of suitable wild lions, we will instigate a multi-stage program to reintroduce lions originally bred from captive individuals. Captive lions which lack hunting skills are bred in fenced areas, their offspring raised around humans and take part in the lion walk program as operated by Lion Encounter. 

Because these offspring are used to humans, it is easier to study them, learning various characteristics such as behaviour patterns, traits necessary to form a successful pride, how they develop various hunting skills, etc. Later, once these offspring mature and learn to hunt, they can be used to form prides designed to maximize the breeding and survival of offspring. These prides would be released in large enclosures (10,000 acres plus) with natural game, and carefully shielded from human contact. Their cubs would then be released at an appropriate age into the wild after pre-release training by their parents.

For a full description of the lion release program and the answers to some frequently asked questions please click here.

Holistic Approach

The environment however is shaped not just by geography and bio-physical factors, but also by socio-economic, legal and political ones. ALERT takes a holistic approach to conservation recognizing that its actions must address all these factors if its programs are to succeed.

As such ALERT also comprises the Conservation Centre for Wild Africa that conducts conservation and research programs for a diversity of Africa’s wildlife. 

In addition, the ALERT Communities Trust (ACT) works with all sectors of society throughout Africa to promote the development of sustainable conservation management plans. ALERT is proud to foster partnerships with local communities that collaboratively develop and implement African solutions to African challenges. ACT promotes community action by raising awareness, motivating and empowering people to protect and restore their environment and improve livelihoods.

Programs operated by Lion Encounter

Release Studies

Hunting success and hunting strategy in lions

The lion release program affords the opportunity to observe lions hunting in a way that is very difficult with wild lions. Such studies will assist in understanding the strategies that lions use whilst hunting; what co-operation is present, and whether individual lions learn techniques or hunting styles that when used improve their hunting success rate.  Data is also collected on all chases, stalks and kills made by the cubs both while walking and on those young lions in the Night Encounter program to assess the variable development of hunting success. Factors such as ground cover, wind direction and moon luminosity on night hunts are also recorded to ascertain if such variables contribute to the overall success in a hunt, and therefore determine if the captive-bred lions are achieving hunting success comparable to that of wild-borne cubs.

Assessment of character traits in African Lions

It is believed that lionesses can take any of three roles in a pride; that of alpha, hunter or mother. Similarly, males can be good hunters, pride defenders or fathers. Given the spectrum of necessary individuals and skills that contribute towards a successful pride, it is important that the prides released into stages two and three of the African Lion Rehabilitation & Release into the Wild Program are well-balanced to ensure all parts of pride life are tended to. Therefore, all stage one cubs are observed at three-month intervals for a number of behaviours that can help predict the role which they may excel at, leading to improved release pride selection. 

Activity budgets in African lions, Zimbabwe and Zambia

An activity budget is based on a simple ethogram and is a way of representing an animal’s behaviour by recording the duration of defined activities; such as resting, social behaviours and eating.

The behaviour of an animal is controlled by the endocrine and nervous system, hence it is affected by the environment the animal is in. It is quite obvious that the behaviour of an animal in captivity will differ from that of an animal in its natural environment, as captive environments usually restrict animals from performing some species specific behaviours, which can manifest in abnormal behaviours usually termed as stereotypic.

The primary objective of this study is to identify how age, gender, enclosure size and complexity affect the activity budgets of captive bred African lions. Measuring activity levels in lions provides important information about their behavioural ecology and is a relevant factor in ex-situ management; providing information on the possible causes of any abnormal behaviour and results on the healthiest social group formations and enclosure stimulation.
 
Other Lion and Wildlife Studies

Spoor as an indicator of age in African lions

Each month the spoor of all the lions of the lion release program is measured; recording pad length, total length and total width of the front and back spoor, as well as the stride and straddle distances. This exercise is repeated where possible on various surfaces – fine sand, coarse sand etc... – as the size of an individual’s spoor is substrate specific.

The intention is that the results of this study will help us find a range of rates of growth of the lion’s spoor and this will be useful in helping to understand the pride structure of unseen lions in the wild.

Lion population assessment in Zambezi National Park

Run at set times through the month, this project actively looks for lions spoors (e.g. paw prints, faeces etc.) in the Zambezi National Park. The study is conducted along a set transect and allow us to measure the number of lions that have been through that area in the intervening period. The objective is to determine not only the number in the park, but also their age, sex and pride structure.

Factors influencing the variation on mane development in lions

The lion’s mane is a one of the most significant symbols in Africa, it demonstrates power, prominence and vitality. At present there is no full explanation as to why lion manes vary from one to another; some believe it is due to paternal and/or maternal blood lines, others believe the climate has a direct influence or nutrition could be the cause. The purpose of this study is to try and determine the factors that cause a lions mane to differ in colour, thickness and coverage.     

Assessing the age of African lions by nose pigmentation

Given the common practice within hunting circles of ageing wild lions through the degree of nose pigmentation, this study involves taking annual nose shots from each lion within the program and monitoring the rate at which the noses darken in order to determine whether pigmentation can be a reliable marker of age.

Ground Hornbill status assessment in the Zambezi National Park

The ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri), a bird indigenous in southern Africa to Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Limpopo provinces and scattered around northern Namibia, is an unmistakable-looking bird with a conspicuous red face & throat patches and a large black de-curved bill.

There are many myths surrounding the ground hornbill, such as the belief that it is ‘muti’ (medicine) for bringing rains. In some areas they are considered sacred, whilst in others it is thought that in large numbers they signal drought.

Regarded as vulnerable in South Africa, a population estimate of 1,500 to 2,000 has been put forth, and Zimbabwe’s population is believed to be on the decline as well. Habitat fragmentation has resulted in fewer suitable areas for the hornbills to occupy, but they have also been killed through feeding on poisoned meat, left for problem carnivores predating on farmer’s livestock as well as being killed for meat in their own right.  The aim of the assessment it to try and get an accurate reflection of the numbers currently found in the Zambezi National Park to add to data sets being created for the whole region.

Sable habitat selection in the Zambezi National Park

Debates among large mammal natural scientists have developed on the effect of sport hunting on wildlife populations. One side argues that hunted mammals have adjusted to hunting pressure and therefore thrive better than those in non-hunting areas while the other side believes the opposite is true. Zimbabwe’s Zambezi National Park is contiguous with the Kazuma Pan-Matetsi-Hwange complex, forming a total conservation area of over 1,846,700ha, excluding forest reserves. Of particular interest to this study is the Matetsi Safari area where sport hunting is permitted.

This is a specific study of sable antelope and is a comparison of habitat use between safari areas and National Parks. The central hypothesis is that hunted sable will select safer but not optimal habitat for the species. Utilisation levels of sable quotas have been recorded to be 100% in all years, and therefore represent a species with high hunting pressure; hence its selection among many other large herbivores for this study.

It is hoped that the results of the study will allow improved conservation management plans to be created for the species, with consideration for other species resident in the Park as well, with particular respect to the regulations controlling sport hunting within the area.

Biodiversity monitoring in the Zambezi National Park

The biodiversity monitoring study in ZNP is designed to highlight any changes that have occurred over time. Using historical data of a park transect we will compare and contrast the biodiversity today along the same transect and how it differs from data gathered since the 1970s. Such data will allow for improved conservation management within the Park.

Large predator assessment in the Zambezi National Park

Within the Zambezi National Park there is a very high density of prey species which in turn should support a high number of large predators. While ZNP is home to a number of large predators including lion, leopard and hyena recent studies have shown that concentration of prey species is disproportionately high. This revelation is slightly worrying as it not only indicates there are only a small number of predators but also one of the natural barriers to overgrazing is insufficient. The large predator assessment looks for predator spoor along a set transect in an attempt to ascertain predators populations in the park. The data collected will in turn serve as base line data to use as marker for future species specific studies and comparisons. These comparisons will assist in the creation of an effective conservation management plan which may include re-introduction of certain species.

Invasive alien plant species removal in Victoria Falls National Park

The eco-system of Victoria Falls National Park is a relic of a rainforest that closely resembles that of a true equatorial rainforest; the vegetation being supported by a seasonal spray of water from the Falls. These conditions have supported the growth of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) over at least the last 30 years, such as lantana camara, ageratum houstonianum, nephrolepsis cordifolia, ipomea carica and solanum seaforthianum. These plants have been known to invade and replace indigenous vegetation that might result in the local extinction of some species. Our hope is to eradicate IAPS in the Victoria Falls National Park.

Biological monitoring in Victoria Falls National Park

Using a series of test plots inside the national park and one outside VFNP we are monitoring the biological impact currently being experienced in the area. Over time comparisons will be drawn to reflect the changes in the areas biodiversity. This is being run in tandem with the plant species removal to help monitor the effectiveness of that activity with regard to indigenous flora regeneration.

Waterhole restoration in the Zambezi National Park

The Zambezi National Park is divided into two distinct areas; north and south of the Kazungula Road. The area to the north has sufficient water supply in the form of the Zambezi River and a spring line, however the southern section is dry with no natural water points.

The consequent concentration of animal species in the north during the dry season exerts ecological pressure as well as focussing tourist vehicles, putting strain on the Park’s limited road system and accelerating soil erosion.

The justification for providing an artificial water source for conservation related reasons are:

• the provision of water to small mammals with limited home ranges which have to move during the dry season as they cannot feed in the southern area with no local water

• if water is supplied in the southern section more tourists will conduct games drives in this area, reliving the pressure on the northern section

• the water point will attract bigger animals, spreading habitat use evenly across the Park; a World Heritage Convention requirement so that mega herbivore populations spread their impact of use

• the northern area of the Park is close to human settlements and as such poaching pressure is severe, particularly during the dry season when game is concentrated in north due to lack of water in the south.

Elephant Monitoring in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park

By understanding the ecology of elephants within MOT NP, we hope to be able to propose improved management plans for the species in an area prone to significant conflict between humans and elephants and vegetation damage within the Park. Looking at how the species uses the Park during different seasons will then be compared to data collated on local farms that have been raided.

Wildlife-Human conflict mitigation

The conflict between humans and wildlife is one that has raged for centuries; now with ever expanding populations it is important that both are protected from each other. In the past and today farmers would protect their crops and livestock by killing wild animals. This study looks at ways in which wildlife can be deterred from entering villages and destroying farm land. Working with local communities around the area we have been experimenting with different methods of combating this issue with two main subjects being the focus, elephants in Zambia and lions in Zimbabwe. Once conclusive results have been reached we will then be in a position to recommend these solutions to other areas that experiencing similar issues.

Anti-Poaching

Anti-poaching teams operate at both our project sites. In addition we provide both funding for anti-poaching teams such as the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit and for training of those teams.

Community Action

Conservation Education

There has been perpetual hostility and conflict between communities and wildlife managers with communities viewing wildlife as a threat to their livelihood and not as a heritage resource to be conserved. There is a need to co-exist with wildlife which can, in part, be achieved through education. Lion Encounter works with local schools and community groups to allow both children and adults to learn about the need to protect the habitat around them.