Lions in Rwanda: The king of beasts is back

For a long time there was not a single lion in Rwanda, Africa. But in 2016, seven animals were resettled in Akagera National Park – since then the population has grown significantly.

Three rhinos stand close together and put their heads together. A fourth roams around a bush. “These are white rhinos,” says Peninah Kamagaju. “They like it when the landscape is a little more open. And they like to travel together.”

Kamagaju guides tourists through Akagera National Park in eastern Rwanda. The protected area has a very special history: after the 1994 genocide in the East African country, it was severely curtailed. “We had a lot of refugees coming back. They were born in exile and no longer had a home here. That’s why the government decided that they could settle in the park area. The area was reduced by almost two-thirds.”

Lions have been exterminated in Rwanda

The wild animals lost a large part of their habitat. In addition, the new settlers took up arms when they wanted to protect their herds of cattle from predators. As a result, lions soon became completely extinct in Rwanda, says Drew Bantlin, the park’s conservation manager. He fears a similar development in other countries on the continent. “There are figures that in some areas the lion population has declined by 90 percent. The whole species is basically in intensive care. If we don’t take specific action to protect them, there will be fewer and fewer lions.”

The last lion was sighted in Rwanda in 2001. 15 years later, the government decided to bring the big cats back into the country. They were flown in from South Africa. Seven males and females from different regions to avoid inbreeding. Apparently they quickly felt at home in Rwanda. In the meantime, the packs have grown to around 50 animals.

Lions bring ecosystem back into balance

Your role as a hunter is important to the balance of nature, says Drew Bantlin. “The reintroduction of lions has many implications, but one important goal is to bring the ecosystem back into balance. They have a major impact on prey, preventing overpopulation and overgrazing the plant world healthier too.”

However, lions are difficult to spot on a safari through the park. The Akagera National Park is hilly and partly densely overgrown. Ranger Kamagaju is therefore lowering the expectations of visitors. “I don’t want to say that the chances of seeing lions are only 10 percent. Because once I judged it that way and then we kept running into lions. We drive through the park and just try our best.”

Rhinos have also been reintroduced

But the lions are hiding today. They do have trackers, but they’re only used for scientific purposes. Just like the rhinos. They were also extinct in the park and have been reintroduced from South Africa. Now Akagera is home to both white and black rhinos – alongside many other wildlife such as hippos in the numerous lakes, crocodiles, hyenas, elephants, giraffes and leopards. The population is also developing well because the surrounding villages get part of the income from tourism.

Again and again the rangers seek contact with the population in order to pass on an important message that is also very important to Kamagaju. “We have to respect nature. Most of the time, it’s us humans who upset the balance. If we don’t change that, there will eventually be far fewer animals in the world.”