Ngorongoro Crater lions : One of the most crucial nations for the long-term survival of the lion is Tanzania. It has about a third of the total lion population in the world and about half of the remaining large, extensive populations (each with more than 2,000 lions). One such significant population is found in the greater Serengeti, which is home to two distinct subpopulations: the larger Serengeti population and the smaller and genetically weaker Ngorongoro Crater population.

 A multi-use area that separates these two groups allows wildlife to coexist with conventional pastoralists and their livestock. Any lion that might cross through, settle in, or visit this area now has a low chance of survival because the human population is growing so quickly in this region. A few lions still exist in this area today, mostly as elusive nomads. As a result, the Ngorongoro Crater lions are becoming more and more isolated. They have a long history of inbreeding, which affects their fertility and disease susceptibility. Without help, the iconic Ngorongoro Crater lion’s long-term survival is in danger.

NGORONGORO CRATER LIONS

The lion population in the Ngorongoro Crater is particularly significant. It is the most well-known and well-studied lion population in the world, with research conducted almost continuously since 1963. The Crater lions have evolved into a textbook illustration of the difficulties faced by an isolated inbred population due to their physical separation from the lion population in the nearby Serengeti National Park. Different ongoing efforts to repair the gap between the Serengeti and the Crater present a unique chance to assess the results of lion conservation initiatives in a population where each individual is identified and tracked throughout its entire lifespan. The Crater lions are also crucial to the lucrative northern Tanzanian wildlife tourism sector, which generates significant income for both the area and the entire country. Without its lions, The Crater would simply not be the same!

NGORONGORO CRATER LIONS HISTORY

In 1962, the Ngorongoro Crater’s lion population experienced a bottleneck due to an epizootic die-off that left only a few survivors. Three different coalitions of males formed and produced offspring over the course of the following ten years. By the middle of the 1980s, there were more than 100 lions left in the Crater. Large male coalitions were born as a result of the prosperous prides on the Crater floor.

Such large coalitions were able to take control as resident males in some or all of the Ngorongoro Crater prides, even at a young age. They would have all the children over the following years until their own adult sons ousted them. As a result, the lions of the Ngorongoro Crater are the offspring of protracted ancestral cycles in which sons had cubs with their mothers, aunts, sisters, daughters, and granddaughters.

While there is a definite disruption between the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, different research data on lion movement shows that some lions are now dispersing across that region through the established “Corridor of Tolerance.” However, their chances of survival are extremely slim, and those who reach the Crater highlands seem hesitant to enter the Crater.

Males depart from lion society, while females remain with or close to their natal pride. The males who leave become nomads and travel widely. These males are most likely to spread out among nearby populations. The purpose of a male’s existence is to establish dominance over a pride or prides and procreate. He needs the ability to drive out the current resident male(s) in order to accomplish this. Strength for lions lies in numbers. As a result, the majority of males form a lifelong coalition with their brothers, cousins, or other lone nomads.

In 2013, an outside coalition of males entered the crater and were successful in introducing new genes into the population of the interbred craters. They brought about a cub boom with a high survival rate. This increase in fertility could be brought on by new genes entering the population, for example. The pride sisters’ ability to time births after male takeovers is another potential and/or additional factor. Their chances of survival rise when many cubs are born at once and are raised in secure nurseries.

NguvuKazi and Laipangwa, two separate cases of nomadic males that originated from the Ndutu stronghold, were able to successfully disperse across the multiuse area of Ngorongoro with the protection of KopeLion’s “corridor of tolerance” in 2018 and 2019.

Numerous cubs were born between 2014 and 2018, and many of them lived to adulthood. Since then, lionesses have been too busy raising their young to reproduce, and there has been commotion and infanticide as a result of male takeovers.

2022: A coalition of five males has ruled the Crater for the past few years. Interestingly, despite the stability, there aren’t as many lions in the Crater right now as there once were. Male adolescents are ejected from the crater, and no other males are permitted. As females enter estrus, fewer cubs are being born, and females seem uninterested in their handsome five.

The outcome of a genetic study on Crater lions will reveal whether the ‘Corridor of Tolerance’ was successful in enlarging the Crater gene pool.

NDUTU LIONS

In the Ndutu region as of 2022 there is four prides and 45 lions overall (excluding tourists and nomads). The Ndutu marshes serve as a wildlife sanctuary and are the heart of Big Marsh pride. This area is off-limits to livestock, and the Big Marsh relies on wild prey and frequently faces a struggle for survival during the famine-like dry season. The Masek and Twin Hill prides’ primary areas are located south of Lake Ndutu and Lake Masek. During the dry season, this region becomes overpopulated with people and livestock herds.

According to KopeLion.Org

We fitted GPS collars to one lioness named Nadine and one young male named Lendepesi from the Twin Hill pride with the primary goal of preventing conflicts between lions and livestock. Lendepesi is currently out wandering with his brother. In addition, we have a male collared named Lopirr, also known as Buddah, who recently moved into Ndutu with his brothers, wreaking havoc and successfully assuming control of the Twin Hill pride.

We learned about the lions’ change in behavior, which we all assumed occurred during the dry season, from the collar data. They didn’t just vanish. On the contrary, they were frequently closer than you had anticipated, safely hidden in thick vegetation during the day. They sneak out at night and frequently hunt or scavenge dead or dying livestock, occasionally killing a giraffe. Due to the convenient (but hazardous!) access to livestock, we frequently find them to be better fed than their Big Marsh neighbors. These lions resume more relaxed behaviors as the rain starts to fall again and the pastoralists depart with their herds. They also start to become more active during the day, and we frequently see them relaxing and having fun in the open.

MULTI-USE AREA LIONS AND THE ‘CORRIDOR OF TOLERANCE’

It is never certain how many lions are currently present in the multi-use area of Ngorongoro, which is located between the Ngorongoro Crater and the Ndutu region. Because lions are seldom seen, we must rely on signs like tracks, hair, or scat. The number of individuals we can estimate for 2020 is between 10 and 30, including up to 13 individuals who left the Ngorongoro Crater and settled on its northeastern rim in 2020 but who, by 2022, had mostly dispersed and vanished.

Lemunge (also known as MG130), a lion that came from the Crater and has since settled with females in the Laetoli Valley and nearby areas, is one of the lions in this multi-use area that is GPS collared.

More lion sightings and longer lion stays have been observed in the multi-use areas over the past couple of years. People and livestock frequently come into contact in these shared landscapes, which can lead to conflicts. When possible, lions hunt wild prey, but they also occasionally eat cattle that are prized by their owners. Conflicts break out, costing livestock owners a lot of money and sometimes even their livelihoods.

The pastoralist communities of the NCA value our approach to preventing and resolving conflicts, which is reflected in their increased tolerance of lions and more resigned acceptance of attack incidents. We think that lions can use these multi-use areas and that coexistence can be achieved, but only with support for better protection of lions and livestock, conflict resolution, and some concrete advantages from lion conservation.

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