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The Last Lions of Africa: Stories from the frontline in the battle to save a species
An incredible and moving account of one man's journey into the world of lions, why they are fast disappearing and what can be done to save them from extinction and thus save Africa, whose delicate ecosystem depends on these apex predators to keep everything in balance.
In 2011, Australian journalist Anthony Ham embarked on a journey into the world of lions. Haunted by the idea that they might disappear from the planet in our lifetime, he ventured deep into Sub-Saharan wilderness, seeking answers from conservation researchers, zoologists, local activists, and traditional peoples alike as to why lions are disappearing and what can be done to save them from extinction.
In The Last Lions, Anthony brings readers with him on his quest, along the way revealing the latest extraordinary science surrounding the earth's dwindling lion populations and their surprising relationship to mankind. Each chapter is part gripping campfire story, part deeply researched investigation of lion habitats, and a jumping off point to explore larger mysteries of the natural world. Through Anthony's vivid storytelling - which weaves together natural history, ancient lore, and multidisciplinary science - we glimpse a world where human populations are growing and wild lands are shrinking; where lions and indigenous peoples fight not for reign of the land but for their very existence. By the book's end, readers will be enlightened, entertained, and engaged with the fate of these embattled creatures and the surprising ways they might be saved.
In 2011, Australian journalist Anthony Ham embarked on a journey into the world of lions. Haunted by the idea that they might disappear from the planet in our lifetime, he ventured deep into Sub-Saharan wilderness, seeking answers from conservation researchers, zoologists, local activists, and traditional peoples alike as to why lions are disappearing and what can be done to save them from extinction.
In The Last Lions, Anthony brings readers with him on his quest, along the way revealing the latest extraordinary science surrounding the earth's dwindling lion populations and their surprising relationship to mankind. Each chapter is part gripping campfire story, part deeply researched investigation of lion habitats, and a jumping off point to explore larger mysteries of the natural world. Through Anthony's vivid storytelling - which weaves together natural history, ancient lore, and multidisciplinary science - we glimpse a world where human populations are growing and wild lands are shrinking; where lions and indigenous peoples fight not for reign of the land but for their very existence. By the book's end, readers will be enlightened, entertained, and engaged with the fate of these embattled creatures and the surprising ways they might be saved.
380 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2020
18 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 13, 2020
The Last Lions of Africa by Australian journalist and author Anthony Ham took me on a journey into the wilds of Africa, telling of particular lions and their impact on the peoples and the land. I read about Cecil, known as the Lion King, who was killed – murdered – by a person who just wanted him as a trophy. I’m sure everyone remembers when Cecil was killed by the dentist from the US and the outcry which followed. Cecil was four and a half years old when the on-the-ground researcher for the Hwange Lion Research Project first saw him in November 2007. The lions had tracking collars and following Cecil with technology was easy. Cecil was king of his world for a long time; until Walter Palmer shot Cecil in July 2015. I ask WHY?
Then there was the last lion of Liuwa – Lady Liuwa. In Zambia Jakob Tembo was responsible for Liuwa Plain, a national park which saw its lion population decimated. In 2004 Tembo and his companions heard a lion roaring in the night, something not heard in some years. When they spotted the lone lioness, they were thrilled. The story of Lady and her apparent loneliness, her befriending of Tembo and South African filmmaker Herbert Brauer is uncanny. She was a true lady.
There are other stories which fascinated me in The Last Lions of Africa, but the poignancy of this book and the man who wrote it: his determined perusal of the facts along with the tragedies of the lions’ world and their fight for existence is a heartbreaking but vitally important look at our wildlife and their lands. The photos in the middle of the book are vibrant and beautiful and I enjoyed looking back at them after I’d finished the book, now knowing the names of the lions, seeing their graceful beauty. The Last Lions of Africa is a powerful book which I highly recommend to anyone who has an interest in wildlife and the lands in which they dwell.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Then there was the last lion of Liuwa – Lady Liuwa. In Zambia Jakob Tembo was responsible for Liuwa Plain, a national park which saw its lion population decimated. In 2004 Tembo and his companions heard a lion roaring in the night, something not heard in some years. When they spotted the lone lioness, they were thrilled. The story of Lady and her apparent loneliness, her befriending of Tembo and South African filmmaker Herbert Brauer is uncanny. She was a true lady.
There are other stories which fascinated me in The Last Lions of Africa, but the poignancy of this book and the man who wrote it: his determined perusal of the facts along with the tragedies of the lions’ world and their fight for existence is a heartbreaking but vitally important look at our wildlife and their lands. The photos in the middle of the book are vibrant and beautiful and I enjoyed looking back at them after I’d finished the book, now knowing the names of the lions, seeing their graceful beauty. The Last Lions of Africa is a powerful book which I highly recommend to anyone who has an interest in wildlife and the lands in which they dwell.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
June 6, 2021
One of the best books about lions I've read, highly recommended!
August 31, 2020
My favourite animals in the world are little penguins but after that, it’s the African 3 – lions, giraffes and rhinos. One of my dreams is to be able to see them in a safari park rather than just in a zoo but it’s a dream that requires something like a lotto win to be able to achieve. I think that battling the extinction of some species is a challenge faced every day and in some cases, it’s infinitely more difficult. Lions seem like they are one of the difficult ones.
For starters, they are pretty much at the top of the food chain which makes them a threat to both people and the livestock those people own and farm. And in recent times, they’ve become a lucrative ‘trophy’ for rich, generally white and foreign hunters who pay the big bucks to come and shoot a lion to take the head home and mount it on their wall or something. I have nothing but disdain for big trophy hunters, standing proudly beside pictures of dead giraffes, lions, etc feeling impressed with themselves for being able to ‘stare down a predator and win’. This book details one of the most notorious kills, which was the lion known as Cecil, who lived in a park in Zimbabwe. He was being tracked as part of a research project when he was shot with a crossbow by a dentist named Walter Palmer from America in what was almost certainly an illegal kill. Because he only injured Cecil and he ran off, Palmer and his guides waited until the next morning to track him and finish him off, leaving him overnight in what was probably agonising pain. It caused international outrage for lots of reasons, not just because of the general opinion of big game hunting. This was done in a way where at least some of the party would’ve been clear that there were no permits in that park for lions that year and the way in which he died, was terrible. They also tried to mimic his movements and then hide his tracking device, when they realised they’d shot a lion with a collar. Five months after his death, the US added lions to the endangered species list, making it a lot harder for their citizens to legally kill them.
Whilst it’s easy to see big game hunting as a black and white issue, the book does attempt to present it in a way where it can be beneficial to conservation as a whole. By limiting it to older male lions who have had a chance to populate the game parks with their offspring, selectively removing one or two from the gene pool helps keep the populations varied and allows younger lions a chance to move into prime positions. And parks can use the money people are willing to pay, to plow into further programs of conservation. I’m still not sure how I feel about it, because it just honestly, seems like such a jerk thing to do, shooting animals just for the sake of it, but I do see the point that Ham and probably several of the park managers are trying to make. Sometimes, for an impact, you have to make a small sacrifice for the greater good.
This book is divided into chapters focusing on a particular area/park and detailing the population there, the challenges faced in preserving it and the stories of the broader community. There are several really interesting stories but I think honestly, the one that struck me the deepest, was the ‘last lion of Liuwa’. A female lion who was believed to be the last lion in a particular area – and probably had been for many years. She had survived on her own when lions, particularly female lions, are generally surrounded by their own relatives – their mother, sisters, grandmothers, cubs. When she encountered humans, she followed them and they eventually realised, that she was lonely. She was seeking their company. And honestly, that just hit me so hard, I wanted to cry. Imagine being the only one of your kind, for most of your life. These huge, majestic animals, you don’t think of one on her own, for years and years, roaming around, never finding companions, a tribe. She must’ve had one at some stage and then lost them, or was forced to flee. There was a whole chapter on how they tried to introduce more lions to the area, to build up the population again and give Lady Liuwa some companions. It was heartbreakingly sad but hopeful as well and it was probably my favourite chapter within the book. And I feel like in many ways, it epitomises the struggle of conserving all the lions – ideas, innovation, plans, one step forward, two steps back, grief, hope, more plans. It’s a difficult endeavour that is always going to have a lot of problems to overcome and plans will have to evolve and change.
I really enjoyed this. Conservation is something you think about but you don’t think about a lot of the actual challenges. It’s like oh, save the lions, so they don’t become extinct but it isn’t that easy. Nothing is that easy, especially with a growing human population, a struggle for land that is large enough to support populations, the threat of hunters both illegal and not. In some cases, there’s an arbitrary line between where it’s safe for a lion to be and where they can be picked off by a hunter if they step to the other side of it. Lions and wildlife don’t understand lines drawn in the sand or even fences. They’re roamers, the males in particular, who fight for and to keep territory and see off threats from other lions who want what they have. One misstep and that can be it.
There are some really beautiful and thought provoking stories in here, rich with history and more. There’s so much I don’t know or understand about various parts of Africa and it’s quite surreal to read about people who live in quite close proximity to lions. I can’t really imagine that! There’s one chapter in the book that details just how dangerous that can be. Recently I read a book set in the nearish future where so many species of wildlife had been declared extinct and reading this, you can see how vulnerable lions are and how tough it’s going to be to keep wild populations flourishing without impacting on local communities.
For starters, they are pretty much at the top of the food chain which makes them a threat to both people and the livestock those people own and farm. And in recent times, they’ve become a lucrative ‘trophy’ for rich, generally white and foreign hunters who pay the big bucks to come and shoot a lion to take the head home and mount it on their wall or something. I have nothing but disdain for big trophy hunters, standing proudly beside pictures of dead giraffes, lions, etc feeling impressed with themselves for being able to ‘stare down a predator and win’. This book details one of the most notorious kills, which was the lion known as Cecil, who lived in a park in Zimbabwe. He was being tracked as part of a research project when he was shot with a crossbow by a dentist named Walter Palmer from America in what was almost certainly an illegal kill. Because he only injured Cecil and he ran off, Palmer and his guides waited until the next morning to track him and finish him off, leaving him overnight in what was probably agonising pain. It caused international outrage for lots of reasons, not just because of the general opinion of big game hunting. This was done in a way where at least some of the party would’ve been clear that there were no permits in that park for lions that year and the way in which he died, was terrible. They also tried to mimic his movements and then hide his tracking device, when they realised they’d shot a lion with a collar. Five months after his death, the US added lions to the endangered species list, making it a lot harder for their citizens to legally kill them.
Whilst it’s easy to see big game hunting as a black and white issue, the book does attempt to present it in a way where it can be beneficial to conservation as a whole. By limiting it to older male lions who have had a chance to populate the game parks with their offspring, selectively removing one or two from the gene pool helps keep the populations varied and allows younger lions a chance to move into prime positions. And parks can use the money people are willing to pay, to plow into further programs of conservation. I’m still not sure how I feel about it, because it just honestly, seems like such a jerk thing to do, shooting animals just for the sake of it, but I do see the point that Ham and probably several of the park managers are trying to make. Sometimes, for an impact, you have to make a small sacrifice for the greater good.
This book is divided into chapters focusing on a particular area/park and detailing the population there, the challenges faced in preserving it and the stories of the broader community. There are several really interesting stories but I think honestly, the one that struck me the deepest, was the ‘last lion of Liuwa’. A female lion who was believed to be the last lion in a particular area – and probably had been for many years. She had survived on her own when lions, particularly female lions, are generally surrounded by their own relatives – their mother, sisters, grandmothers, cubs. When she encountered humans, she followed them and they eventually realised, that she was lonely. She was seeking their company. And honestly, that just hit me so hard, I wanted to cry. Imagine being the only one of your kind, for most of your life. These huge, majestic animals, you don’t think of one on her own, for years and years, roaming around, never finding companions, a tribe. She must’ve had one at some stage and then lost them, or was forced to flee. There was a whole chapter on how they tried to introduce more lions to the area, to build up the population again and give Lady Liuwa some companions. It was heartbreakingly sad but hopeful as well and it was probably my favourite chapter within the book. And I feel like in many ways, it epitomises the struggle of conserving all the lions – ideas, innovation, plans, one step forward, two steps back, grief, hope, more plans. It’s a difficult endeavour that is always going to have a lot of problems to overcome and plans will have to evolve and change.
I really enjoyed this. Conservation is something you think about but you don’t think about a lot of the actual challenges. It’s like oh, save the lions, so they don’t become extinct but it isn’t that easy. Nothing is that easy, especially with a growing human population, a struggle for land that is large enough to support populations, the threat of hunters both illegal and not. In some cases, there’s an arbitrary line between where it’s safe for a lion to be and where they can be picked off by a hunter if they step to the other side of it. Lions and wildlife don’t understand lines drawn in the sand or even fences. They’re roamers, the males in particular, who fight for and to keep territory and see off threats from other lions who want what they have. One misstep and that can be it.
There are some really beautiful and thought provoking stories in here, rich with history and more. There’s so much I don’t know or understand about various parts of Africa and it’s quite surreal to read about people who live in quite close proximity to lions. I can’t really imagine that! There’s one chapter in the book that details just how dangerous that can be. Recently I read a book set in the nearish future where so many species of wildlife had been declared extinct and reading this, you can see how vulnerable lions are and how tough it’s going to be to keep wild populations flourishing without impacting on local communities.
August 26, 2020
In The Last Lions of Africa Anthony Ham explores the various factors that have contributed to the decline of this apex predator and the many challenges faced by those trying to save them.
The book is comprised of five insightful essays, each focussing on a different aspect of the struggle and/or lion region in Africa. My favourite amongst these the story of a lone lioness that developed an unusual bond with a wildlife ranger.
Ham marries well his journalistic approach to investigating the drivers of change and interpreting information gleaned from experts with his own passionate interest in the subject matter.
He offers readers a remarkably balanced assessment of historical and recent events, from lion pride behaviour through to political game-playing and urban sprawl. For example, he does not downplay economic imperatives, nor does he sugarcoat the first-hand experiences of those that have lasting injuries or witnessed loved ones dragged from their beds and consumed by lions. And, while not particularly palatable, he considers the conservationists’ theoretical argument that trophy-hunting could actually be the key to the lion species’ survival. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/...
The book is comprised of five insightful essays, each focussing on a different aspect of the struggle and/or lion region in Africa. My favourite amongst these the story of a lone lioness that developed an unusual bond with a wildlife ranger.
Ham marries well his journalistic approach to investigating the drivers of change and interpreting information gleaned from experts with his own passionate interest in the subject matter.
He offers readers a remarkably balanced assessment of historical and recent events, from lion pride behaviour through to political game-playing and urban sprawl. For example, he does not downplay economic imperatives, nor does he sugarcoat the first-hand experiences of those that have lasting injuries or witnessed loved ones dragged from their beds and consumed by lions. And, while not particularly palatable, he considers the conservationists’ theoretical argument that trophy-hunting could actually be the key to the lion species’ survival. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/...
August 26, 2020
A true page turner, beautifully written, like a novel where the lions are the main characters, with their own personality . A must read for wildlife and big cats lover
November 9, 2020
A great collection of stories of of people and lions who live together, and the risks to both.
September 12, 2024
I went to my local library a couple of weeks ago and checked out every single book about lions. Admittedly, there were only two (2), so I checked out two (2) books about lions. One was Born Free, that old chestnut, and the other was this.
Although they were written 60 years apart, the two books do share some DNA. They're both about the complicated relationship between humans and lions, lions and humans.
In The Last Lions of Africa, Anthony Ham travels to various African countries to observe current conservation efforts. What he reports genuinely floored me. Admittedly, this is partly due to my own ignorance, but... guys, the situation for lions is bad. Did you know it's bad? It's BAY-AD.
Due to my recent lion hyperfocus, I've been watching a lot of nature documentaries. Y'know, lions gamboling happily across the great plains, being the apex predator. It's shocking to me that those documentaries either barely touch upon the real situation or actively obfuscate the real situation.
The real situation being: yes, wildlife preserves exist in Africa, but they're getting smaller and they're always bordered by "concessions" (places where legal trophy hunts take place) and human settlements. Lions, a species born to roam, will naturally wander into a place where they'll be shot by a fucken dentist on safari (A DENTIST) or they'll clash with subsistence farmers who would quite like to not get eaten by a lion, kthx.
Lions are dying in droves and we're to blame.
It's easy to sit in a wealthy country and tut-tut and say, "why aren't Africans caring for their most majestic creatures?" Because if you're starving, you don't have a lot of time or money or patience for wildlife conservation.
Anyway, I found this book incredibly compelling and would recommend it to anyone.
Let's not talk about the unfortunate section where the author decides to drive for two weeks across the desert without enough fuel or water and almost dies. Truly, how are white males not extinct yet?
Although they were written 60 years apart, the two books do share some DNA. They're both about the complicated relationship between humans and lions, lions and humans.
In The Last Lions of Africa, Anthony Ham travels to various African countries to observe current conservation efforts. What he reports genuinely floored me. Admittedly, this is partly due to my own ignorance, but... guys, the situation for lions is bad. Did you know it's bad? It's BAY-AD.
Due to my recent lion hyperfocus, I've been watching a lot of nature documentaries. Y'know, lions gamboling happily across the great plains, being the apex predator. It's shocking to me that those documentaries either barely touch upon the real situation or actively obfuscate the real situation.
The real situation being: yes, wildlife preserves exist in Africa, but they're getting smaller and they're always bordered by "concessions" (places where legal trophy hunts take place) and human settlements. Lions, a species born to roam, will naturally wander into a place where they'll be shot by a fucken dentist on safari (A DENTIST) or they'll clash with subsistence farmers who would quite like to not get eaten by a lion, kthx.
Lions are dying in droves and we're to blame.
It's easy to sit in a wealthy country and tut-tut and say, "why aren't Africans caring for their most majestic creatures?" Because if you're starving, you don't have a lot of time or money or patience for wildlife conservation.
Anyway, I found this book incredibly compelling and would recommend it to anyone.
Let's not talk about the unfortunate section where the author decides to drive for two weeks across the desert without enough fuel or water and almost dies. Truly, how are white males not extinct yet?
April 26, 2022
A very hard book to read in that I found it very sad, not only because of the bad outcomes for animals and people but for jungles and rivers and ways of life. But I’m glad I read it, as I now know I’m still very uneducated about lots of things. Thank you to the author Anthony Ham. The lions and peoples stories from this book will stay with me forever.The book has also given me a thirst to read material I would not have otherwise thought of reading.
December 18, 2022
Heart rending and gut wrenching. There is a lot of death and a lot of it is painful. Then there is the overshadowing question of how wildlife can survive and how people can survive. In much of Africa the land is dry and desolate and there is very little food for animals or people. Anthony Ham knows a lot about Africa, its history and natural history, about its geography, its wildlife, and its lions. He clearly already knew quite a lot before taking the trips that he recounts in the stories in this book. Some of my favorite things about the book are little tidbits about various animals other than lions. I wish there were more photos, or even little drawings, of some of these animals. There are some great photos in the center of the book and each chapter has a very spare map at the beginning, so it is easy to see the area covered in that chapter. There is an overall map of Africa at the beginning of the book to put the other maps in perspective. I don’t know if there are other editions of The Last Lions of Africa, but the book I read was paperback and it was hard to spend as much time as I did with it without it getting a little damp and bent out of shape. The Last Lions of Africa includes a lot of the author’s personal feelings, and it’s interesting to see the depth of feeling he has for certain events and the very daring things that he is driven to do. In each story, Anthony Ham talks about the African people of the area, focusing on one or two individuals in depth. There are also scientists and volunteers from other countries who are sources. There seems to be a complete lack of African women involved with working with lions who could be included in this book. With all the different angles from which Anthony Ham looks at the issue of lion survival, he still keeps the book cogent and compelling.
December 21, 2020
Here's everything those interested in lion books need to know: the esteemed conservationist Dr. George Schaller, author of the landmark "The Serengeti Lion" calls it "the most insightful and fascinating book about the King of Beasts and its world that I have read." Add to that the equally strong recommendation of Dr. Luke Hunter who oversees big cat conservation for Wildlife Conservation Society for 25+ countries and you know this is a noteworthy book endorsed by respected leaders in this field. But to be clear, this is far from a dusty, stiff text. "The Last Lions of Africa" is the work of a gifted writer who will engage the you with gripping moments and beautifully-crafted phrases. Ham has done his first-person research and takes you along on that journey as you see him flesh out of the complexities of seemingly well-known issues as well as watch him focus some much needed light on little-known stories. I work in conservation and have recommended this new text to many colleagues. I greatly hope you stop reading my words and begin reading his. It may take a little extra time to get this book and may be a bit more than other texts, but it is profoundly worth it.
October 4, 2020
A very enjoyable, informative and moving message about our planet.
October 18, 2021
So much to love about this book, so much to be frustrated with. Anthony does a great job building tension, only to break the tension with monotonous discussion about bureaucracy or people who don’t really have direct connections to the problems lions are facing. He starts building some compelling stories about a man-eating pride, only to stop the action and discuss the building of a dam or he starts telling his own story of a life threatening situation and then breaks that up with writing monotonously about a people group for what feels an eternity. 3.5/5 stars is my rating.
October 8, 2021
Loved this book and loved the structural approach of telling a big picture story through several stories of individual lions. This wonderful book has an elegiac tone and it shows in convincing detail how unlikely we are to preserve to the wilderness already in my lifetime. I was deeply affected by this read, as well as really enjoyed learning more about the geography and history of some parts in Africa.
January 25, 2022
A book for lion lovers BY an ultimate lion lover. I really enjoyed reading about conservation efforts, the currently delicate relationship between Africans and lions, and how lion behaviour itself is evolving, for better and worse.
Anyone who is interested in lions would love this, just as I did!
Anyone who is interested in lions would love this, just as I did!
July 19, 2023
One of the most affecting non-fiction books I’ve read over several decades, this is a wonderful but heart-breaking story of the ongoing loss of lions from the African landscape. Never dry or academic, Ham give us long, engaging narratives about individuals, both lion and human, and their interactions.
I recommend this highly to anyone interested in Africa, lions, or endangered wildlife.
I recommend this highly to anyone interested in Africa, lions, or endangered wildlife.
November 22, 2020
This book provide shines a light on the plight on Africa’s lions and the threat to their continued existence and the age old of dilemma of conflict betwwn humans and wild animals.
November 27, 2020
I love lions :0)
September 3, 2021
If you love lions, care about their future, or even merely seen a lion in its own natural habitat , this book is excellent. Long live the lions
December 21, 2021
Not only a fascinating and informative book, but also an incredibly important read
July 21, 2022
I really liked it and now i have lots of lion knowledge. However, at some parts it was hard to read
September 16, 2022
Really great insight into the world of the people who are doing amazing work into trying to protect and conserve these amazing creatures. The stories are incredible and captivating.
March 30, 2023
This is one of the hardest books I’ve read! The future for lions, and other wildlife is bleak. Glimmers of hope, but everyone has to try harder.
July 29, 2021
Summary:
A well-written and captivating book chronicling a range of stories touching upon the lives of lions in Africa. It’s accessible and laced with conservation science. It paints a grim picture for lions in Africa doing well to highlight the constant fight for survival between ever shrinking territory sandwiched between hunting sites, other lion territory, human populations and areas devoid of food. Lions have to walk the fine line between all of this in order to survive and unfortunately, this is too big of an ask with so many forces being acted upon lions. There are some hopeful stories such as how the Maasai are becoming more involved in conservation and leveraging their amazing knowledge of lions and the land to help conserve them rather than slaughter them like they did traditionally. There are also many depressing stories such as the cruel and illegal murder of Cecil. After reading this book, I really fear for lions and their future. And if we can’t conserve one of the most captivating and admired animals on the planet, what does it mean for other species?
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in conservation and lions.
The main message I took from this book is that lions are in dire trouble and while there are some great initiatives to help conserve them, more needs to be done and fast.
Some notable points:
- The reasons lions are out in the world of people is because there is no room left for them in the world of lions.
- Between 1977 and 2002, wildlife populations on the Athi-Kapiti Plains fell by 72 per cent. Numbers of zebra, eland and wildebeest crashed by almost 90 per cent during the same period. At the start of the twentieth century, there were four wild animals for every head of livestock on the Athi-Kapiti Plains. Now it is the other way around. In April 2004, near the burgeoning settlement of the Athi River, someone laced cow carcasses with poison, When they came to feed 187 vultures died and the poison wiped out most of the local hyena population in a single day.
- “Why anyone would want to shoot a lion, or any other living creature for that matter, for sport is beyond me. The whole idea that an animal mounted on the wall could be somehow more beautiful than that same animal alive and roaming the plains of Africa is something that I will never understand. For all its perceived romance, for all its testosterone-fuelled bravado, the shooting of a lion in the 21st century involves very little bravery, or, dare I say it, sport.”
- Many hunting concessions surround national parks, serving as buffers between officially protected reserves and community areas with growing human populations. One study found that trophy hunting was responsible for the conversion of 27,000 square kilometres of livestock ranches to wildlife-rich hunting concessions in Zimbabwe. Were the reverse to happen, were hunting concessions to disappear, it is a pipe dream to imagine that these lands would be incorporated into national parks. Almost universally, most of the land would be converted to agriculture or cleared for livestock. Much lion habitat - 60,000 square kilometres across Africa as a starting point - would be lost in the process.
- All conservationists and, it must be said, reputable hunting operators agree that hunting can only work as a conservation tool under quite specific conditions. Unfortunately, these conditions are often the exception rather than the rule.
- It is dangerous to ascribe human emotions to animals, but if you don’t believe that animals are capable of emotion, consider this: for nights after his partner was shot and later killed, Jericho (a lion) roamed the forest, roaring, calling for his friend.
- According to the published data of the Hwange Lion Research Project, trophy hunting has been responsible for 10 per cent of deaths among the studied lion population. A further 40 per cent is caused by human-lion conflict and/or what researchers call anthropogenic factors - snares, PACs, revenge killings, perhaps even trains. The remainder - half of the lions in the study - die natural deaths (killed by other lions, mortally wounded while hunting, killed by disease and other non-human related causes). However, these numbers don’t provide the full picture as most of the 40 per cent of lion deaths attributed to human-lion conflict could actually be traced back to hunting.
- “When rifles were introduced, that is when the relationship between lions and the San people became disconnected. From them on, lions never trusted man again.”
- Throughout history, as today, tsetse flies harassed humans and cattle alike, and served as a barrier to large-scale settlement. The tsetse may carry the scourge of African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), but without it, conservationists have often argued, we would have very few national parks worthy of the name in Africa - having kept people at bay, and caused no harm to wild creatures, the tsetse kept large tracts of wilderness, including the Selous, from being settled.
A well-written and captivating book chronicling a range of stories touching upon the lives of lions in Africa. It’s accessible and laced with conservation science. It paints a grim picture for lions in Africa doing well to highlight the constant fight for survival between ever shrinking territory sandwiched between hunting sites, other lion territory, human populations and areas devoid of food. Lions have to walk the fine line between all of this in order to survive and unfortunately, this is too big of an ask with so many forces being acted upon lions. There are some hopeful stories such as how the Maasai are becoming more involved in conservation and leveraging their amazing knowledge of lions and the land to help conserve them rather than slaughter them like they did traditionally. There are also many depressing stories such as the cruel and illegal murder of Cecil. After reading this book, I really fear for lions and their future. And if we can’t conserve one of the most captivating and admired animals on the planet, what does it mean for other species?
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in conservation and lions.
The main message I took from this book is that lions are in dire trouble and while there are some great initiatives to help conserve them, more needs to be done and fast.
Some notable points:
- The reasons lions are out in the world of people is because there is no room left for them in the world of lions.
- Between 1977 and 2002, wildlife populations on the Athi-Kapiti Plains fell by 72 per cent. Numbers of zebra, eland and wildebeest crashed by almost 90 per cent during the same period. At the start of the twentieth century, there were four wild animals for every head of livestock on the Athi-Kapiti Plains. Now it is the other way around. In April 2004, near the burgeoning settlement of the Athi River, someone laced cow carcasses with poison, When they came to feed 187 vultures died and the poison wiped out most of the local hyena population in a single day.
- “Why anyone would want to shoot a lion, or any other living creature for that matter, for sport is beyond me. The whole idea that an animal mounted on the wall could be somehow more beautiful than that same animal alive and roaming the plains of Africa is something that I will never understand. For all its perceived romance, for all its testosterone-fuelled bravado, the shooting of a lion in the 21st century involves very little bravery, or, dare I say it, sport.”
- Many hunting concessions surround national parks, serving as buffers between officially protected reserves and community areas with growing human populations. One study found that trophy hunting was responsible for the conversion of 27,000 square kilometres of livestock ranches to wildlife-rich hunting concessions in Zimbabwe. Were the reverse to happen, were hunting concessions to disappear, it is a pipe dream to imagine that these lands would be incorporated into national parks. Almost universally, most of the land would be converted to agriculture or cleared for livestock. Much lion habitat - 60,000 square kilometres across Africa as a starting point - would be lost in the process.
- All conservationists and, it must be said, reputable hunting operators agree that hunting can only work as a conservation tool under quite specific conditions. Unfortunately, these conditions are often the exception rather than the rule.
- It is dangerous to ascribe human emotions to animals, but if you don’t believe that animals are capable of emotion, consider this: for nights after his partner was shot and later killed, Jericho (a lion) roamed the forest, roaring, calling for his friend.
- According to the published data of the Hwange Lion Research Project, trophy hunting has been responsible for 10 per cent of deaths among the studied lion population. A further 40 per cent is caused by human-lion conflict and/or what researchers call anthropogenic factors - snares, PACs, revenge killings, perhaps even trains. The remainder - half of the lions in the study - die natural deaths (killed by other lions, mortally wounded while hunting, killed by disease and other non-human related causes). However, these numbers don’t provide the full picture as most of the 40 per cent of lion deaths attributed to human-lion conflict could actually be traced back to hunting.
- “When rifles were introduced, that is when the relationship between lions and the San people became disconnected. From them on, lions never trusted man again.”
- Throughout history, as today, tsetse flies harassed humans and cattle alike, and served as a barrier to large-scale settlement. The tsetse may carry the scourge of African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), but without it, conservationists have often argued, we would have very few national parks worthy of the name in Africa - having kept people at bay, and caused no harm to wild creatures, the tsetse kept large tracts of wilderness, including the Selous, from being settled.
January 17, 2021
An extremely well-researched, thought provoking, tear-jerking read that will stay with me long after I have finished the last chapter. The labour of love that this book must have been is clearly evident as emotion pours out of each page.
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