Kenya’s big cats under pressure – cattle push lions away

On the Kenyan savannah, lions and livestock essentially live in shifts: cattle graze during the day and are enclosed at night when lions are active. Nevertheless, lions are being pushed out of their habitats by large numbers of cattle. This affects both the ecosystem balance and the nature-based tourism on which many Maasai communities in Kenya depend on.

This is shown in a new study from Aarhus University, led by Niels Mogensen, a PhD student at the Department of Biology.

Together with local collaborators, Niels Mogensen recorded different groups of animals – lions, other predators, and grazing livestock – in the Masai Mara Conservancies, a conservation area in southwestern Kenya. The area is roughly the size of Lolland and a large part of Falster and is known for its high lion densities and the annual wildebeest migration.

The Masai Mara is also one of Africa’s most popular tourist destinations, especially for visitors hoping to see the “Big Five” (lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalo). Lions in particular are under pressure from the Maasai’s large cattle herds. According to Niels Mogensen, the study is extensive, with a large dataset collected over nine years and covering several conservancies.

“Even though cattle are supervised by herders and brought into enclosures at night when lions become active, the wildlife is still indirectly affected. Lions have a natural fear of cattle and their herders, and as cattle numbers increase, it is the lions that retreat. They simply change their behaviour,” explains Niels Mogensen.

Data collection was carried out by dividing the study area into one-by-one-kilometre grid cells. Each time the researchers drove through a cell, they recorded all lions and livestock and the distance travelled. The data were then analysed using spatial modelling methods, meaning that geographical or spatial factors were taken into account.

Less space creates new problems

Nearly 70 percent of Kenya’s wildlife now lives outside national parks, often in the same areas that local communities use for grazing their cattle. In the community-run Masai Mara conservancies, the goal is for wildlife, tourism, and livestock farming to coexist.

But finding that balance is difficult, says Niels Mogensen.

“Even though lions and cattle are not on the grasslands at the same time, our data show that lions avoid  areas where cattle graze. It is very rare for people to kill lions or directly threaten them in the conservancies. Nevertheless, human use of the landscape has created areas that lions are afraid to enter,” he says.

The consequence is that lions have less space to move, creating new problems.

“Lions may be pushed into unsuitable habitats, their ability to reproduce may be affected, and they may be driven into the territories of other lion prides. At the same time, the risk increases that lion prides move closer to villages, creating insecurity.”

Create more refuges

Niels Mogensen points to several solutions, one of the most important being more targeted grazing management.

“The more cattle there are, the harder it becomes for lions to find space. It is therefore crucial that livestock numbers are kept low in areas preferred by lions, especially near rivers and in areas with dense vegetation,” he says.

Another recommendation is to establish clear boundaries for where livestock may graze and to rotate grazing so that some areas experience periods of rest.

“By rotating grazing between different areas, pressure on the most important habitats for lions and other wildlife can be reduced.”

Lions’ safe resting areas should also be better protected. This applies especially to areas along rivers and places with dense bush or forest cover, where lions can hide and rest during the day.

“These areas function as refuges for lions. If they disappear, lions lose some of the last places where they can feel safe,” he explains.

He therefore advises against allowing cattle to graze in these lion refuges and stresses the importance of maintaining a varied landscape.

Use data in management

A third recommendation is to use data more actively in the management of the conservancies. According to Niels Mogensen, knowledge about where lions and livestock actually occur should play a much larger role in grazing planning.

“We now have a detailed picture of how lions respond to livestock. That knowledge should be used directly in management so that grazing decisions are based on evidence rather than assumptions,” he says.

Finally, Niels Mogensen emphasises the need for continued monitoring.

“When lions are pushed into smaller areas, it can have long-term consequences that we do not yet fully understand. That’s why it is important to keep monitoring developments closely,” he says.

Future studies should, among other things, examine how denser populations affect lions’ social structure, pride stability, and cub survival.