Although safari-goers often see many lions and leave Africa with the belief that lion populations are doing well, this is unfortunately not the case. Lions outside the protection of national parks and reserves, where tourists usually see them, are seriously threatened. Conflicts arise between people, who want to protect their livestock, and the lions, which are enticed by cattle and other domestic animals.

In this lesson, students will learn about lion hunting behavior and will consider how these predators might pose problems for villagers in areas where lions and people coexist, such as the Laikipia plateau in central Kenya. They'll brainstorm how corrals (called bomas), dogs, and other preventive options might help reduce the dangers of lions to livestock, and they'll discuss how Crittercam might help scientists learn more about lion hunting behaviors in order to help the situation. They will conclude by designing plans to help people coexist with lions.

Geography, life sciences

Standard 8: "The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface"
Standard 18: "How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future"

Two to three hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Construction paper (optional)

Students will

• read and answer questions about lion hunting behavior;
• look at a map of Laikipia, and discuss potential problems that might arise with lions roaming close to villages;
• view a picture of a boma (corral), and discuss good boma design;
• work in pairs or groups to brainstorm how bomas, dogs, armed guards, and "people sounds" might deter lions from attacking livestock;
• discuss why it would be good for scientists to talk to Masai elders about their research and recommendations;
• discuss how Crittercam might help scientists in their research on lions; and
• design plans to help prevent lions from killing livestock.

Ask students to describe some of the lion behaviors they are familiar with. What do lions do during the day and at night? How do they find their food? What might happen if a hungry lion found itself near a herd of domestic cattle?

Have students look at the first photograph at the Lion Research Center's home page to see a picture of lions walking through typical savanna habitat.

Have students go to Creature Feature: Lions and click on "Fun Facts." Ask them to look through this page for information that will help them answer the following questions. Have them write their answers down.

• Are lions social, or do they like to live alone?
• Who does most of the hunting?
• When do lions do the most hunting?
• What hunting strategies do lions use?
• Are they good hunters? How often do they catch prey?

Discuss students' answers as a class. What have they learned about lion hunting? If they owned a herd of cattle in Africa, would they worry about lions? Why or why not? If so, when would they be the most concerned about their cattle? What might they do to protect their herd?

Have students locate Kenya on a world or Africa map, either in the classroom or at National Geographic's Xpeditions Atlas.

Have students look at this map of Laikipia. Explain that Laikipia is a large area of Kenya that's not part of a national park or reserve. It is being managed and studied to make sure that lions and other wild animals can live near people and their livestock. There are no fences between the lions' roaming territory and the towns and villages, although people do build fences to enclose their livestock at night.

Tell the class that many people in Kenya, particularly the Masai tribespeople, keep herds of cattle near their villages. (See a photo.) What tensions and difficulties do students think might arise from this situation? List their ideas on the board.

Students will probably have mentioned the difficulties that may arise from lions hunting in areas near domestic animals; if not, point out this possibility. What problems do students think might occur when people keep domestic animals, such as cattle, in places that have lion populations?

Explain to the class that the Masai highly value their cattle and therefore do not like having their cattle killed by lions. When a lion has killed a member of their herd, the Masai do everything they can do track and kill the lion. It's also considered a rite of passage for a Masai warrior to kill a lion (although this is now illegal). These practices, while traditional for the Masai, are hurting lion populations in Kenya.

Have students go to the Laikipia Wildlife Forum and scroll down to the section titled "Boma Design." Explain that this photograph shows a boma, which is a corral where people keep their livestock at night. Have students read the paragraphs about the boma, or paraphrase these paragraphs to the class. Ask students to explain the importance of boma design in helping Kenyans protect their livestock.

Write these words on the board: bomas, dogs, armed guards, people sounds. Ask students to work in pairs or groups to brainstorm the ways that each of these measures could be used to help the situation that the Masai are facing. For example, students should discuss how the sounds of people (e.g., talking, music, etc.) might deter a lion from approaching a cattle herd.

Discuss students' ideas as a class. Make sure they understand these points:

• Domestic dogs may scare lions away.
• A good, strong boma is very important.
• People sounds near the bomas may discourage lions from attacking—if people don't want to live near the bomas, it may be a good idea to play radios.
• Armed guards are effective in keeping lions from attacking, as long as they don't kill the lions. A lion might never return to a boma if it has heard the sound of gunfire near the boma.

Have students go to the Lion Research Center and scroll to the bottom of the page to see a picture of a scientist discussing the lion situation with Masai elders. Ask students why they think it is a good idea for scientists to meet with the elders. How do they think this type of meeting might help the scientists, the lions, and the Masai?

Ask students to imagine that they have attached a Crittercam to a lion and are "following" its movements. What information might this give us about lion hunting behavior? How might this information be useful in helping the Masai protect their livestock?

As an option for students who haven't seen the Crittercam video, have students close their eyes and try to imagine what they might see on the screen when watching the movements of a lioness with a Crittercam attached.

Have students work in groups to design plans to help prevent lions from killing domestic animals. Their plans should include:

• a design for a "new and improved" boma (drawn on notepaper or construction paper);
• text that recommends what should be done to improve the situation; and
• how further research with Crittercam might help.

Have students pretend that they have just returned from a vacation to Kenya, where they visited a Masai village. There the students asked the Masai about their lives, and the tribespeople told them that they're worried about their livestock. Have students write down the conversations they might have had with the Masai.

This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0229817.

Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Laikipia Plateau Map
Lion Research Center
Lions and People in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania)
Living With Lions
Map of Kenya
National Geographic News: Co-Existence Good for People and Wildlife, Conservationist Says
National Geographic: Creature FeatureLions
National Geographic: Crittercam Chronicles
National Geographic: Xpeditions Atlas