Lionesses have a lot of power in lion society. The females typically
work together to hunt down prey, and form crèches to look after their cubs.
This cooperative behaviour brings in lots of food, and ensure that plenty of
lion cubs survive to adulthood.
The female lions' empowerment stands in stark contrast to
the human societies that live alongside the lions in Kenya's Samburu National
Reserve. There, as in many other cultures throughout history, women have been
discouraged from taking control – in part due to a male-dominated culture.
As it happens, lions – despite the lionesses' efforts –
arevulnerable to extinction. So what might
happen if we took a leaf out of the lions' book and began to allow women to
make more decisions?
One Kenyan lion conservation organisation, Ewaso Lions, decided to find out.
Ewaso Lions helps local communities find ways to coexist with wildlife.
This is crucial, because one of the greatest threats to lions is humans
killing them.
As some of Samburu's lions live outside formally
protected areas, they often come into contact with the Samburu livestock. In
retaliation for cattle killed by lions, the Samburu sometimes hunt the lions.
The Mama
Simba project
began when local women went to Ewaso Lions asking to be educated. Mama Simba
means "the Mother of Lions" in Maa, the local language.
"The women had seen how warriors in their community
were being engaged in conservation through another of
Ewaso Lions's projects," says Heather Gurd, conservation manager at Ewaso
Lions. "They were adamant that they could do just as good a job as the
warriors if only they were given the chance."
Samburu women actually spend a great deal of time in wildlife areas
whilst they collect firewood, fetch water and look after livestock. This means
they often come into contact with animals like lions.
Yet before this project, the women were rarely actively
included in conservation activities.
Ewaso Lions is educating the Samburu women in basic literacy, numeracy,
and wildlife conservation. They also train them in beaded art craft, so that
they can diversify their income and not depend solely on livestock.
Since Mama Simba was launched in 2013, over 300 Samburu
women have participated in the programme. There is a core group of 19 who
spread the word.
"Empowerment means that women are given a chance to lead, like men
do," says Ntomuson Lelengeju, a Mama Simba participant.
"Women and men are now getting equal opportunities
in terms of resource sharing," says Noldonyo Letabare, who also takes
part.
As well as benefiting the women, the project should also
help the lions.
To achieve this, the women are trained in how to better
protect their livestock enclosures from predators. They also learn how to
identify carnivore tracks, and tell Ewaso Lions about lion sightings and any
conflicts that arise.
It is too soon to tell whether this new project has benefited the lion
population. But there is evidence that people's attitudes towards lions are
becoming more positive.
"I have changed as a result of the Mama Simba
programme," says Lelengeju. "I now cannot accept people to kill
lions."
"Since joining the programme I have learned to love
lions, unlike before," says Letabare.
"We have seen a real change in the confidence and enthusiasm that
the ladies have," says Shivani Bhalla, executive director of Ewaso Lions.
"They were once very quiet and shy, never speaking up at any community
meetings or talking about wildlife. Now they are vocal about
conservation."
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