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Music; Ambience: Lion roar

“Returning to the camp at 8 in the morning, found a cow dead in the grass. But unlike a lion kill, this animal had been sliced open, rather than ripped open. And this raised a central concern to us.”

In Kenya’s Tsavo region, where zoologist Bruce Patterson tracks lions, wildlife reserves border ranches. And a lion’s appetite for farmers’ livestock can be deadly for the lion. Welcome to Pulse of the Planet’s Science Diaries, a glimpse of the world of science from the inside. This month a look back and an update on some of our favorite Science Diary stories.

“It's quite common in rural Africa when lions kill a cow, the herdsmen will allow the lion to feed on it until the lion feels very comfortable with it, is into eating mode. They will then drive the lion off and lace the carcass with poison. A carcass becomes toxic to any animal that samples the flesh, and many other animals often share the agonizing fate of death by poison.”

Depending on the direction they choose, lions wandering from Tsavo East National Park can meet with some very different fates.

“Those that find their way to the Taita/Rukinga Conservancy find a land with protection from ranchers and poachers, with abundant prey species. Those that find their way to other ranches, where poultry and livestock are the only prey death or deportation are inevitable results.”

Bruce Patterson’s latest research has revealed that a lion’s home range can stretch to 540 square miles. His team discovered this by tracking and plotting lions’ movements with GPS-enabled collars.

Pulse of the Planet’s Science Diaries are made possible by the National Science Foundation.

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