Friends of Kenya Wildlife Trust

During the last century, Africa’s large carnivores have undergone massive declines, largely due to human activity. Lions are no exception - compared with their historic range, lions (Panthera leo) have lost 75%. In 1980 there may have been as many as 75,000 lions, while today it is likely that there are only between 20,000 and 30,000 free roaming lions. East Africa is home to around 60% of Africa’s lions, but some studies suggest that this population may decline by as much as 50% over the next two decades. Growing human populations out-compete carnivores for space and resources. By the end of the 21st century, Africa’s human population may increase threefold, to around 5.7 billion, which will cause further declines unless effective conservation programmes are implemented.

For the past 10 years, Kenya Wildlife Trust has been at the forefront of lion conservation across Kenya’s key ecosystems. Our conservation model focuses not only on the lions but also the communities who share the ecosystems with them. In doing this, we have ensured that people and lions coexist peacefully.