News and Stories

At the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, African lions Imani and John move zoo visitors with their powerful roars and obvious loyalty to one another as a pride. Both inspire people who see them to care about them and their species!

Lion prides in Africa are similarly loyal to their members and also inspire awe in people who are lucky enough to see them on a safari or in videos.  For people who live alongside these regal animals, there is awe but also a bit of fear. That’s why Cincinnati Zoo is proud to support organizations like SORALO (South Rift Association of Land Owners), WASIMA and WCA (Wildlife Conservation Action) that are working to promote coexistence.

Loyalty to Our Pride: Celebrating Long-term Partnership Success with SORALO

No matter where you are in the world, community livelihoods remain at the core of human-wildlife coexistence and conservation. In the South Rift Valley, where communities like the Maasai navigate life sharing their landscape with a species like the African lion, we prioritize those communities’ prospering to achieve wildlife coexistence.

For over 20 years, the Cincinnati Zoo’s partnership with SORALO has strived to do just that – following in the example of the Maasai’s emphasis on coexistence and supporting the Maasai community in the development of the Lale’enok Resource Center. Owned and operated by the Olkiramatian Reto Women’s Group, the Lale’enok Resource Center provides a base for indigenous pastoralist-led education programs and research in the region. The center is also a hub for community, with a communal meeting hall and offices with access to solar power and satellite internet. Rangers and researchers are able to help herders and livestock owners mitigate conflicts with lions, thanks to the resources, educational opportunities, and expertise found at the center. The Cincinnati Zoo is proud to support the Olkiramatian Reto Women’s group and the work they make possible at the Lale’enok Resource Center. The success of the Lale’enok Resource Center since its development shows that investment in local communities can result in powerful conservation results, with lion populations rebounding over the last ten years.

Small Beads Carry Potential for Huge Change!

You can directly support Maasai women, their families, and African lion conservation through the purchase of culturally significant beadwork. In collaboration with SORALO, the Cincinnati Zoo and the SSA Group are offering these handcrafted items to a larger global audience, and in turn, increasing the potential for resources that directly benefit communities in the South Rift Valley Region. Over the past ten years, the school fees of over 100 children have been paid because of beadwork made by the Olkiramatian Reto Women’s Group. To purchase a set of bracelets for yourself and support these students and communities, visit the Cincinnati Zoo gift shop or shop online.

Designing Effective Coexistence Strategies

The Cincinnati Zoo is also working with additional lion conservation partners, WASIMA and WCA (Wildlife Conservation Action), to scale up lion coexistence initiatives in Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Together, we are conducting a study examining the factors that shape human behavioral responses to wildlife conflict. Human-wildlife conflict poses significant challenges globally, affecting both human well-being and wildlife conservation efforts. Understanding the intricacies of individual behavioral intentions—such as the adoption of prevention and mitigation measures, retaliatory actions, and lifestyle adjustments—in conflict-prone areas is essential for designing effective coexistence strategies.

The aim of this study is to assess (1) the willingness of local communities to adopt measures to prevent livestock depredation by lions, (2) the effectiveness of different interventions that have been implemented in the landscapes, (3) the barriers that prevent adoption of interventions, (4) the role of self-efficacy, social norms, prior experience with livestock depredation, risk perceptions, conservation interventions (including conservation benefits and education) in shaping individuals’ behavioral responses to human-wildlife conflict, and (5) the current levels of tolerance and attitudes towards the focal species. To date, over 1,100 surveys have been completed between WASIMA and WCA to collect data in relation to these metrics and analysis of this data is currently ongoing.

Community: The Lion’s Share of Conservation

As we celebrate the continued conservation of the African lion species, an appreciation for the communities who have made those rising population numbers possible through their dedication to education, stewardship of the environment, and scientific inquiry goes hand in hand. The teachings of community-based coexistence emphasized by our partnering organizations are our guiding beacons in the conservation of wildlife across the world, showing through concrete results that community is truly the Lion’s Share in achieving true, tangible conservation impact. It is only through the support of these communities, who serve as conservationists with firsthand experience living alongside African lions, that coexistence solutions can be achieved and the long-term vitality of vulnerable and endangered species made possible. Read more about the AZA SAFE Lion program to check out current initiatives that are helping to assist and involve communities in the conservation of African lions.