72 BBC Wildlife August 2020
newpridesasadultsasoftenasinthepast.
Thesenomadicmalesroamwidelyuntil
aboutfouryearsofageandviewcattle–
whosepresencehasdramaticallyincreased
insidethereserve– aseasytargets.Scientists
withtheMaraPredatorConservation
Programmehavediscoveredthatsome
oftheseyoungmalesarebeingkilledby
pastoralists.Withtheirrivalsremovedfrom
thearena,pridemalesholdtheirpositionfor
longer– butcanendupbreedingwiththeir
femaleoffspring,withobviousrepercussions
forgenetichealth.
Toc o u n t e rt h i s ,t h es c i e n t i s t sb e l i e v et h a t
groupsofyounglionessesareleavingtheir
natalpridestoseekterritoriesoftheirown- somethingtheyotherwisedoonlywhen
therearetoomanyadultfemalesandnot
enoughresources.This– andthefactthat
some of these young females are also being
losttopastoralists– wouldexplainwhy
wearenowseeingsmallergroupsof adult
lionessesinmanyMara prides.Crowdcontrol
Largecoalitionsmaysiremanycubs,but
theyoftenfailtoinvestsufficienttimewith
thefemalestoprotecttheiroffspringfrom
encroachingmales.Instead,theymove
betweenprides– matingandmovingon
again.Inthe’70sand’80s,thepridemales
weobservedweregenerallyvigilantwhen
thereweresmallcubsinthevicinity,staying
closetothefemalesandpatrollingtheir
territory.Thethreatposedbyintruders
waseverpresent,andwewouldregularly
encounternomadgroupsuptonine
membersstrong,particularlywhenthe
wildebeestpouredinfromtheSerengeti.
Today, nomads are far less apparent.Above:Scarfaceand
cubsin2013,shortly
beforehewasshot.
Aboveright:Bibithe
lioness(seenhere
withhersiblings)was
almost 17 yearsold
whenshediedof
poisoning in 2015.TheMarshPrideterritory
haschangeddramatically,
duetoclimatechange,
livestock... and elephants.
Indeed,changeis afootintheMara,
andit’snotjustthesocialdynamicsof
lionprides.Physically,theMarshPride
territoryhaschangeddramatically,
duetoclimatechange,livestock,fires,
vehicles...andelephants.Withpoaching
at a minimum,thereare3,000elephants
intheMaraecosystem.Thesegiantsrip
upacaciaseedlingsastheycriss-crossthe
savannah,andhaveturnedtheoncevirtually
impenetrableforestborderingtheMusiara
Marshintoa graveyardoffallentrees.The
thicketsthatthelionessesprizedasden
sitesarenowfragmentedandpunctured
bydaylight,renderingthemfarlesssecure
forraisingcubs.BilaShaka,likewise,is no
longerthewoodedlandmarkit oncewas.
Gonearethedays,asin2003,whenthe
MarshPridereached 29 members– an
all-timehigh.Thepridehassplinteredinto
groupsoftwoorthreefemalestryingto
raisecubsindifferentpartsoftheterritory,
movingbetweenBilaShakaandMusiara
Marshandgenerallyavoidingeachother.
Andwhilelionprideshaveshrunk,the
numberofvisitorshadbeenbuoyantpriorto
theCOVID-19pandemic,whichhashalted
internationaltravelinitstracks.Tourismis
a mainstayofKenya’seconomyandvitalto
fundingtheconservationofareaslikethe
Mara. But the explosion in camps and lodges