Botswana livestock protection reduces losses to lions - Daily Maverick

--> In the village of Gunotsoga in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, a livestock protection and lion-proximity alert programme has helped reduce animal losses to predators. Over four years, project participants recorded three cases of livestock being killed by lions, while the number of lions known to the project team rose from about 40 to more than 100 individuals, Daily Maverick reports .

The programme is implemented by the conservation organisation CLAWS Conservancy. It combines traditional livestock herding with technology: lions were fitted with trackers, and herders receive alerts through a mobile app about predators being near the herds.

Previously, livestock deaths led to retaliation by farmers. In 2013, about half of the local lions disappeared, probably after killings; researchers identified 28 animals that died from poisoning. Poisoned carcasses were also linked to the mass deaths of vultures.