This week on Peace Parks TV, join the Limpopo National Park team as they manage a strategic lion collar swap! Bruce Missing, Peace Parks Foundation’s Counter Poaching Coordinator in Limpopo, explains that a young male lion is fast outgrowing his collar, which now needs replacing. The team leaps into action to identify him from the air and coordinate the collar exchange on the ground.
With the support of the Mozambique Wildlife Alliance, and the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Carnivore Conservation Programme, Peace Parks Foundation is using cutting-edge tracking technology in Limpopo to monitor the growing lion population. Collars fitted on several lions are sending location data to the EarthRanger software system, which integrates the information and provides a real-time picture of their whereabouts.
Collaring lions demands careful strategies, quick thinking and combined expertise. Mozambique Wildlife Alliance vets use radio telemetry from the helicopter to pinpoint the young male lion. Once he’s been sedated, they work with the team to carefully replace the hardware. Ideally, they hope to locate a female during the same operation; she would be the perfect recipient of the smaller collar once it’s been removed. The more lions they can monitor the better, providing a detailed map of individuals and prides. Not only does this show how they are using their habitat, but also indicates when they are moving too close to communities in the areas bordering the park, which demands a rapid response from the team to avert human-wildlife conflict.
It’s exciting to learn that the local lion population is growing, although providing an exact count of those that are living permanently in the park is challenging. This protected area lies within the Great Limpopo transboundary landscape, giving wildlife the freedom to move between Kruger and Limpopo national parks. Some of the lions are transient residents – meaning that they can come and go, crossing park boundaries regularly. A conservative estimate suggests that 20 have settled in Limpopo – a number which will become increasingly accurate as more monitoring strategies are put in place. A comprehensive network of camera traps throughout habitats will also help provide a better understanding of the lion population.
The information which EarthRanger and other monitoring methods allow also offers insight into the health of individual lions – from their injuries to their genes. Whilst collaring the male, the vets note scarring which suggests he has been in territorial fights with another male over a female. The good news is that he otherwise appears extremely healthy, as is his brother which is also being monitored. “They are about four years old, and weighing 180 to 190 kilograms,” says Dr Hagnesio Chiponde, Mozambique Wildlife Alliance vet. “This shows that both lions have good genes, therefore we need to protect them to ensure that these pass from generation to generation.”
Limpopo National Park is on an exciting journey of revival. Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas, Peace Parks and expert partners are working together here to restore, manage and develop the landscape. Wildlife migrating into the park is an immensely promising sign that ecosystems are healthy and balanced enough to sustain them. But for natural, and managed, rewilding to be a complete success, for lions and nearby communities, the dedication of the teams and use of conservation technology are key. Enormous credit is due to Bruce and his colleagues for what they have achieved in this epic operation, to Peace Parks’ partners for their skilled and active role, and donors for their invaluable support. Together, we are ensuring healthy wildlife populations, and harmony between people and #NatureWithoutBorders!
To learn more about Limpopo National Park’s remarkable journey, visit parquelimpopo.gov.mz.
