Presenter: Alena Thalput

Group Members: Ethan Lieman

Faculty Sponsor: John Warui Kiringe

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Biology

Session: Poster Session 6, 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM, 165, D11

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to assess the status of lions and their prides and evaluate the key threats facing lions within Kenya's Amboseli ecosystem. Key methods used were photographing individual lions and determining representative biometric features for accurate individual identification. For each lion, sex, age, body condition, and level of scarring were determined. Key-informant interviews were conducted to evaluate the severity, irreversibility, and trends of the five major threats facing lions in the region. Across four prides and one male coalition, 33 lions were identified. The population showed a mostly adult age structure with a strong cohort of 2-4-year-old sub-adults and a balanced 1:1 sex ratio. All lions exhibited healthy body conditions. Pride sizes were small but stable and healthy, with a low extinction risk. Human disturbance effects on body condition and scarring were inconclusive, though level of scarring significantly increased with age and was higher in males. Interviews identified habitat loss and conversion as the most severe threat to lions, with disease ranked least severe. Land-use change emerged as the most frequently mentioned driver of the major threats. The threats facing lions can be mitigated by land use planning, policy, and enforcement, coupled with the use of effective lion-human conflict mitigation strategies to reduce the effects of the threats. The findings of this study will allow conservation managers and stakeholders to make informed decisions about protecting lions more effectively.