The lion, known affectionately as the king of the beasts, has no natural predators, yet African lion numbers have plummeted by over 40% in the last three generations through human-wildlife conflict. Three-quarters of African lion populations are in decline and, with only around 20,000 in the wild, they’re now officially classified as ‘vulnerable’.
Audexio Jordino Novela is the Mobile Brigade Coordinator for Banhine National Park, and has been working here for 13 years. In all this time he has never encountered lion or their tracks inside or even near the park. So, this is a tremendously exciting day.
Whilst on a routine patrol early in the morning the rangers found tracks and fresh faeces. By studying the evidence they believe the lion walked around the edges of the park during the night. The tracks showed what they believe to be four lion – two adults and two youngsters – which makes the find even more exciting as this means there might be a family of lion nearby. Lions tend to live in large groups (a pride) which usually consist of related females and their cubs, so in order to thrive they need a steady supply of food. As well as being a haven for migratory birds, Banhine now has herds of buffalo and antelope, perfect food for hungry lions.
Lions are top predators in their environment and play a crucial role in keeping a healthy balance of numbers among other animals, especially herbivores like zebra and wildebeest. This in turn influences the condition of grasslands and forests by avoiding overgrazing.
Banhine lies within the wildlife corridor between the Zinave and Limpopo national parks – a critically important component of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area – a zone that is important for free movement of wildlife. In the past, hippo have moved from the Limpopo National Park to Banhine’s central pan system and an elephant bull that was collared in Limpopo walked to Banhine through a section along the Limpopo River kept clear of human development, giving scientific evidence of the functionality of corridor linkages between the national parks.
Audexio notes that the number of predators in Banhine must be increasing as sightings of spoor from leopard and cheetah are becoming more common.
Peace Parks Foundation hopes that these lion, along with many other predators and wildlife will find sanctuary by moving into Banhine and making it their home.