| dc.description.abstract | Though retaliatory lion (Panthera leo) killing as a
result of livestock predation in the Maasai group ranches between the Tsavo NPs and Amboseli is remarkably high, other
wildlife species are known to kill livestock. Surprisingly, lions
suffer the most from retaliatory killing by the Maasai community for killing livestock. The extent of livestock predation by
lions in comparison to other species is unknown. This study
was carried out in the Olgulului group ranch (OGR) located
adjacent to Amboseli National Park in June 2009. The cost of
livestock killed by each of these species including lion, hyena
(Crocuta crocuta), cheetah (Acynonyx jubatus), leopard
(Panthera pardus), olive baboon (Papio cynocephalus),
black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas), and African elephant
(Loxodonta africana) was analyzed. Questionnaires, focus
group discussions, and key informant interviews with officials
from OGR, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and compensation scheme organizations were the methods used to collect
information. Cluster and systematic sampling techniques were
used to select a sample of 199 respondents from OGR. Lions
were blamed for 40.5% (US$ 374,603) of the value of livestock lost to wildlife. The costs of livestock lost to hyenas and
lions were not significantly different (q = 0.24, p = 0.968).
Although hyenas killed more livestock compared to lions, the
economic damage between the two was not significantly different because lions attacked cattle which had high economic
value. Conservation of lions will be increasingly difficult if the
current levels of predation are not reduced to economically
and socially acceptable levels. | en_US |
