The lion population in North West Zimbabwe is a critical link of a larger meta population that connects between Chizarira and Hwange National Parks and extends into Botswana into Chobe and the Okavango Delta. This population is one of a few remaining larger populations of lion in Africa, and our role is to help ensure it remains intact and connected. The Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust works with local, regional and international partners to look at landscape level efforts for lion conservation and to mitigate existing and emerging threats to the population. VFWT conduct lion research in Zambezi National Park and extend conservation efforts to the surrounding conservation areas and communities.
Lion populations are declining due to changing habitats and increasing pressures from humans.
Make a donation to help with Lion Conservation.
If lion populations are going to remain healthy, the best chance they have is for us to find ways to improve their habitat and to prevent their conflict with humans. This project addresses the mitigation of conflict in rural communities through the Human Wildlife Conflict: Predators Project.
Lion populations rebound very quickly with increased anti-poaching protection and a good prey base, and so this project also puts measures in place to assist with anti-poaching efforts to protect all wildlife.
For a lion population to be sustainable, it is crucial that lions are able to move freely and unobstructed through regional wild areas. Large Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA’s) are one way of increasing the area in which regional populations of lion and other wildlife can survive. With the establishment of the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) in 2003, wildlife that moves across international borders is closely monitored. In North West Zimbabwe, lions move between Zimbabwe and Botswana, and in some cases even Zambia. Identifying wildlife corridors within the TFCA is vital to ensure that those areas remain designated for wildlife. In order to protect these wonderful animals this project aims to find out where lions move within the KAZA TFCA and work with local and regional authorities to keep those areas protected, and connected.
We use satellite collars to track lion movements. If you would like to help us conserve the population of lion in NW Zimbabwe, you can do so by sponsoring a satellite tracking collar. Each lion collar can be used for 2 years and the movements of this animal will be closely monitored. * One satellite collar costs ~$5000
