The privilege of seeing the second-largest cat, the lion, in the wild is one of several good reasons to visit Africa. A key tourism driver, these beautiful animals are found only in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia. Conservation of their natural environment is not only vital for their survival, but also an essential contributor to bookings at hotels in Nairobi Kenya, like the Southern Sun Mayfair Nairobi.
The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust is one of the organisations that has made major inroads into changing the local tribe’s perception of these animals, educating them as to the benefits rather than the threat of having them around, and training them to be game scouts.
You can fly to the area in the Chyulu Hills via hotels in Nairobi Kenya where the Trust has seen some reward for its efforts. It created a conservation programme called the Simba Project, through which it educates the Maasai warriors who live on the land that it is more beneficial for them to coexist with lions than to hunt them. The word ‘Simba’ means ‘lion’ in Swahili…
Guests en route to the area via hotels in Nairobi Kenya will learn that the Trust now compensates the Maasai for the loss of livestock through predation. If the Trust’s game scouts can verify the legitimacy of a Maasai’s claim for injury to or loss of livestock because of predator activity, the Maasai are paid for that loss as long as no predator kills occur in retaliation.
Visitors to the country who may book a safari in the Chyulu Hills after staying at hotels in Nairobi Kenya will be amazed at the change in statistics. In 2008, more than 1 500 Maasai were compensated for 3 100 heads of livestock. The result you ask? The lion population there increased from 15 to over 37 in 26 months. The Simba Project also has a knock-on effect that benefits cheetah, leopard, wild dog and hyena.
The Trust employs Maasai scouts to use their tracking skills and knowledge of the landscape near hotels in Nairobi Kenya to monitor lion activity and feed information as to their behaviour and whereabouts to the Trust. They operate in the wilderness that stretches from the dry savannah at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro to the Chyulu Hills. The area is protected, and home to more than 400 bird species, over 60 large mammals and more than 1 000 plant species.