THE WAY FORWARD

THE PROCESS

The Lion Recue Project is located in Hoedspruit in the northernmost province of Limpopo in South Africa, on the border of the Greater Kruger - the largest "big game" conservation area in the world. Our dedicated conservationists all of whom work on a strictly volunteer basis, have committed their time and talents to the rewilding of ranched lions back into vetted and secure conservation areas within Southern Africa. The complicated rewilding process requires many hours of time, effort and of course funding.

MONITORING

Once the lions are safely in their new environment, they spend some time in a secure enclosure before their final release into the wild. The Lion Rescue Project monitors these animals while they adapt to their new home using a state of the art drone system which provides information such as social and behavioural patterns, home ranges, genetic influences, diseases and general condition of the lions without the need for close human interaction or unnecessary chemical exposure used in darting.

A BRIGHT FUTURE

The rewilding of “ranched” lions can be deemed successful in a free roaming environment once the lion pride had become self-sustaining with no interference or supplementation needed, they have been able to reproduce and successfully raise cubs to sexual maturity and to effectively teach their offspring to hunt, interact socially and reproduce. The good news is that lions don't need to be taught to be rewilded. Their natural instincts as the apex predator in Africa enables them to hunt, socialise, breed and thrive thereby securing the next generation of wild lions.

INVESTIGATION AND VETTING

Breeders at one of the numerous commercial farms in South Africa are encouraged to contact the Lion Rescue Project indicating their willingness to donate their lions to this initiative. A physical visit (sometimes involving a drive of hundreds of kilometers) is required to determine the viablity of the lions ensuring they are young, fit and disease-free. Blood tests and genetic mapping are also conducted at this stage.

SECURING A NEW TERRITORY

There are many secure reserves in Southern Africa that have a low population of dominant male lion coalitions, are significant in proportion and have suitable numbers of free-roaming prey species. Before ranched lions can be rehomed, our volunteers assist the new owners in the construction of a quarantine or prerelease enclosure. Being social animals, this enclosure will home the new lions (sometimes complete strangers to each other) and provides a safe space for the animals to bond and form a cohesive pride over time before their ultimate release into the wild.

TRANSPORTATION AND RELOCATION

Before ranched lions can be relocated, a detailed plan is put in place, This includes a timeline for acquiring the necessary export, import and CITES permits and health certificates which must be issued by a wildlife vet. Crates need to be built and at the ready and transport needs to be organized for both the lions and personnel. The date of the relocation is set and a wildlife vet will sedate the animals so they can be safely moved into the crates and they can then start their journey very often across borders to their new home.