Herdsmen arrested for poisoning lions in Kenya's Maasai Mara Dead lions include 17-year-old Bibi,

James.Grage

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Herdsmen arrested for poisoning lions in Kenya's Maasai Mara
Dead lions include 17-year-old Bibi, who appeared on the BBC’s long-running Big Cat Diary series



A Maasai herdsman with his cattle near Makindu, Kenya. Photograph: Radu Sigheti/Reuters
Agencies in Nairobi

Tuesday 8 December 2015 09.53 EST Last modified on Tuesday 8 December 2015 11.12 EST

Two Maasai herdsmen have been arrested for allegedly poisoning lions in the Masaai Mara game reserve after the lions killed two of their cows, according to a Narok county wildlife official.

The lions are members of the Marsh pride, which has featured on the BBC’s long-running Big Cat Diary series. Two of the lions are dead, one is missing and at least five are being treated by vets, a conservation group and a BBC wildlife crew at the scene said.

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The Masai Mara: 'It will not be long before it's gone'
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Moses Kuyioni, a local wildlife official, said the men are suspected of poisoning meat which they set up for the lions to eat. He said the lions had attacked the herdsmen’s cattle when they entered the game reserve in western Kenya on Sunday. Local cattle-herders frequently bring their animals into the Masai Mara reserve to graze.

“I am sick to the heart to hear of the poisoning of the Marsh Pride lions, and horrified to think of the pain they suffered as they died,” said Saba Douglas-Hamilton, a Kenyan conservationist and television presenter who worked on Big Cat Diary.

Among the dead lions was 17-year old female Bibi, who had become something of a celebrity during the TV series’ long and hugely popular run from 1996 to 2008. The BBC crew said she was found “lying on her side, foaming at the mouth, fitting and panting” before she died.

Conservationists first noticed something was wrong on Sunday morning when some of the lions, “were acting strangely collapsing and suffering from spasms”, according to a statement from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which funds a mobile veterinary unit in the reserve.

“There is nothing shocking anymore as to what is happening in the Maasai Mara,” he added, blaming years of “appalling management” by local authorities.

Kuyioni said that because of land division and urbanisation the Maasai herdsmen had little option but to explore the game reserve for food as their traditional grazing lands have been subdivided to individuals. Human-wildlife conflict is seen as a big threat to the existence of lions in Kenya.
 

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This is incredibly sad. But yet, it really demonstrates that when people don't find a value in wildlife that applies to their day to day (if you are fighting to survive then I doubt you will easily appreciate the aesthetic value alone), wildlife often loses. It also goes to show that regulated hunting being banned from an entire nation does not mean wildlife flourishes. Hunting could have brought in tangible money that would perhaps have changed some attitudes about wildlife. I understand that the cattle grazers went into parkland (which again is something that should have been addressed). It all seems like such a mess.
 
The result!

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Endangered Vultures being poisoned as well.



lion vulture.jpg
 
Rise up and condemn the vile killers, ruin their business and vilify them on social media! Pass laws with no effect just to make ourselves feel better! Abuse them and threaten their lives from behind a veil of Internet immunity, that'll show 'em!



Oh wait, they're not white or perceived to be rich.




Ok then, it's acceptable because it's their culture, which we have no right to judge.

:Vomit:
 
A very sad tragedy. Runs akin to the poisoning of elephant herds in Zimbabwe.
Communication failures with local community and Govt depts.? This was not a case of poaching, as is the Zim elephant herds, but just an senseless act to protect his cattle... years ago the Maasai would hunt the lions down with spears... now, it is easy just to poison them. Where do these guys get such poison out there in the wilderness?
Where are the greenies now? Why they not RAISING HELL on this act of slaughter?
 
Bruce,

There needs to be a Hillary Clinton scandal, planned parenthood, or some other scandal that the media doesn't want to get a lot of play time for their to be outrage. Right now we have black lives matter, trump hating, and talk of gun violence. Too much fits the talking points for this to get coverage and outrage. Sad but true.
 
Bruce,

There needs to be a Hillary Clinton scandal, planned parenthood, or some other scandal that the media doesn't want to get a lot of play time for their to be outrage. Right now we have black lives matter, trump hating, and talk of gun violence. Too much fits the talking points for this to get coverage and outrage. Sad but true.
I see your point of view here. Not living in the States we are not up to speed with all the issues that you mention here, except for what we see on World News etc..good to get a proper local point of view.
Thanks...
 
Consider it a blessing you don't hear all of the "issues" that we hear in the states. Not much of a conspiracy person but I have friends that work in the media and certain stories get pushed to the front due to some off the record conversations. Let's see Cecil pops up almost a month after the fact the same day a leaked video inside planned parenthood is coming out. Who loses with this narrative? Hunters. More importantly rich hunters!!!! Double bastards!!! Poisoned lions by cattle herders, who loses? African cattle herders who are protecting their livelihood.... Nope....doesn't fit the narrative.
 
Kenya......no hunting! Let's see that equals no value to wildlife. If it pays it stays!
I watch big cat diaries every morning at 6 am. I guess I gave seen every episode at least twice. I wonder if Animal Planet the network will have anything to say about this crime??? My money says nothing will even get mentioned.
 
Well at least they have video of lions from Kenya, because that is all that will remain in the not to distant future. Conservation at its best.
 
Rise up and condemn the vile killers, ruin their business and vilify them on social media! Pass laws with no effect just to make ourselves feel better! Abuse them and threaten their lives from behind a veil of Internet immunity, that'll show 'em!



Oh wait, they're not white or perceived to be rich.
i guess only hunters get bum rapped by antis,anybody else can poison wildlife or what ever.bibi should get some press. a movie star and older than cecil. gee,maybe theres something phony about the antis!!!!



Ok then, it's acceptable because it's their culture, which we have no right to judge.

:Vomit:
 
. This was not a case of poaching, as is the Zim elephant herds, but just an senseless act to protect his cattle... years ago the Maasai would hunt the lions down with spears... now, it is easy just to poison them.?
Bruce, don't mean to be difficult, but what exactly is 'senseless' about protecting your livelihood?

I think the reaction is entirely predictable and even 'sensible', in the circumstances, and I think if cattle was our wealth and livelihood, we'd likely do the same.

The problem lies with the government, which ensures that wildlife has no value to the average Masai. They, like people all over Africa, can be brought on side, and even brought to help in the protection of lions, but not under the current laws.
 
A very sad tragedy. Runs akin to the poisoning of elephant herds in Zimbabwe.
Communication failures with local community and Govt depts.? This was not a case of poaching, as is the Zim elephant herds, but just an senseless act to protect his cattle... years ago the Maasai would hunt the lions down with spears... now, it is easy just to poison them. Where do these guys get such poison out there in the wilderness?
Where are the greenies now? Why they not RAISING HELL on this act of slaughter?

This is not senseless slaughter. This is oppressed native people driven to desperate acts to protect their meager livelihood. A rich American legally and sustainably hunting an animal past its breeding age and significantly contributing to the economic underpinnings of the ecosystem is senseless slaughter. Get with the narrative.
 
somebody here dosent belong on this site.
 
If you are referring to my post, you missed the sarcastic intent
 
Bruce, don't mean to be difficult, but what exactly is 'senseless' about protecting your livelihood?

I think the reaction is entirely predictable and even 'sensible', in the circumstances, and I think if cattle was our wealth and livelihood, we'd likely do the same.

The problem lies with the government, which ensures that wildlife has no value to the average Masai. They, like people all over Africa, can be brought on side, and even brought to help in the protection of lions, but not under the current laws.


You make a valid point, Hank2211... to me , poisoning of ANYTHING is a senseless act and there are always spin offs to this act. I agree the laws do not help the herder in the field... there should be some form of compensation to the herder if he proves lions killed his cattle/ livestock. hunting funds could fund this compensation account..BUT Kenya has banned all hunting and now paying dire consequences.
 
You make a valid point, Hank2211... to me , poisoning of ANYTHING is a senseless act and there are always spin offs to this act. I agree the laws do not help the herder in the field... there should be some form of compensation to the herder if he proves lions killed his cattle/ livestock. hunting funds could fund this compensation account..BUT Kenya has banned all hunting and now paying dire consequences.
Senseless slaughter to me is using poison to kill elephants for ivory. That's poaching, pure and simple. I don't agree with poisoning lions (or any other wildlife) but it can't be called senseless when it's in defence of livelihood, especially by poor people with no other real options.

Let's not forget that farmers and ranchers throughout Africa take steps to eradicate predators and competitive grazers. White and black. In fact, much the same thing is done in North America. And where elimination is not allowed, compensation for losses is generally provided. You don't get that in Africa.

Don't be so quick to respond to Edward. I don't know what he is on about, but neither one of us has anything to apologize for.
 
nomadic herders plus cattle, plus a population explosion of people and cattle, plus more and more nomads becoming settled and trying farming plus keeping cattle, plus big tracts of land being sold for industrial type farming = less land for grazing for the remaining nomadic ones with their cattle, and the cattle still owned by settled previously nomadics, so they start grazing in the nat parks/game reserves where there are the remaining carnivores = fk up.........
 

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