Free roaming lions and the term lion management may seem to be a contradiction.
At Dinokeng Game Reserve we host free roaming lions – they have to fend for themselves – but still we have to implement formal lion management, as any smaller game reserve. Indeed there are only two game reserves in South Africa – the Kruger National Park and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – that are big enough for a self-regulating lion population. All other parks have to take measures to keep predator-prey ratio in balance and avoid inbreeding.
The DGR is an active member of the Lion Management Forum (LiMF), an organisation where park managers, rangers and ecologists from around the country share experiences, discuss and find suitable solutions for continuous lion management challenges: birth control, finding new homes for sub-adult males, monitor the gene pool, …
At the DGR we have, amongst others, a scientific program in place to where our lionesses are on contraceptives. We also fit collars with signal sending capacity to our young males when they are likely to break away from the pride. These necessary interventions come at a considerable cost, but they also provide the opportunity to get really close to the extraordinary part of daily conservation work.
If interested in getting closer to our work why not follow the announcements on the observing conservation tab of our website. Opportunities will arise from time to time for keen conservationists to observe activities such as the darting of a lion to apply contraception or renew a collar. In this way you can contribute to the cost of our fascinating lion management programme.
