Instagram – Nov 19, 2022 @ 13:24
“…it’s encouraging that it seems possible to turn around an unfortunate event like this to mitigate the negative effects of poaching.”
Read on to find out more about what African Parks are doing to help the orphans of two lionesses in Kafue National Park that were killed by snares in the Busanga area of the park…
Posted @withrepost • @africanparksnetwork Earlier this month we received distressing news from @kafue_national_park in Zambia, that two lionesses had been caught and killed in snares set by poachers in the Papyrus Swamps of Busanga Plains. Between the two females, eight cubs, aged 6 to 8 months, were left orphaned. These cubs are still too young to hunt for themselves, so our park management team took the decision to capture and place them in a holding boma in @liuwaplainnationalpark, until a suitable facility has been built to house them back in Kafue. From here, the cubs will be given an opportunity to bond with a mature female/s so that they can be safely released back into the park. This rescue operation has been supported by the
@zcp_zambia and @pantheracats.
So far, all but one female cub, which the team has been unable to trace and capture since the incident, are in excellent health with reports that they have even managed to catch and kill a vervet monkey in the Liuwa enclosure – a good sign that their natural hunting instinct is still strong. Although the long-term success of this intervention cannot be predicted at this stage, it’s encouraging that it seems possible to turn around an unfortunate event like this to mitigate negative impacts of poaching on wildlife.
Across Africa, only about 20,000 lions remain in the wild. With threats such as poaching and the illegal trade in their body parts, habitat loss and human-lion conflict, lion population numbers have become drastically threatened. Safeguarding and managing protected areas where this species can thrive forms a major part of helping recover lion populations in Africa.
📸 Andrea Reid