The Mara North Conservancy (MNC) is a region of Maasailand lying along the North-West border of the Maasai Mara Reserve.

The area is rich in wildlife and is visited by thousands of tourists each year, hoping to see the Big Five and the annual wildebeest migration. However, the area is also used for grazing cattle by local Maasai. This means that lions are at risk from conflict with livestock owners.

When the migration returns to Tanzania, the number of natural prey drops, and attacks on cattle increase. Past conflicts between predators and livestock have led to the killing of several lions and the breakdown of large prides.

As cattle numbers and human encroachment increase, so does the threat to the lions here.

The Mara Predator Project is monitoring lions in and around the Mara North Conservancy with the help of lodge guides and visitors, who report sightings and images to us.

We are building an online database of lions so that each one can be tracked and studied. Identifying individuals allows us to map their home ranges, monitor reproduction and identify long term population trends. This helps us to apply effective conservation efforts.

The project is based at Serian Camp, but enlists the help of most MNC member lodges. This allows us to to monitor lions effectively over the entire MNC and surrounding areas.

We work closely with the MNC rangers, who help us to monitor conflict and apply effective solutions. Sharing data on lion movements helps them to control grazing to reduce depredation, and they are also working to improve bomas across the region.

Understanding the lion population and the threats lions are facing allows us to apply successful strategies devised by other LWL projects.

How do we identify lions?
Collaring lions is sometimes necessary in order to track them. If lions are used to vehicles, we can monitor them indirectly.

We use a lion’s whisker spot pattern for identification, which remains the same throughout a lion's life. We can also use ear tears, nose colour and mane size, but these can change.

Get involved!
We aim to give all MNC visitors the opportunity to get involved in our work. Lion conservation is not only an issue for researchers, but for everyone who has a passion for big cats.

Involving tourists is key to our success. The project has an online database, which can be used to search for lions by their key characteristics. Each lion has its own profile, with images, statistics, pride associations and sighting information.

Report your lion sightings!
Have you have photographed a lion in or around the Mara North or Olare Orok Conservancy? If so, it's easy to report your sighting along with a photograph by using the report form.

We're particularly interested if you have visited one of these lodges:

To take part in the Mara Predator Project, follow these simple steps:

1. Choose a photograph of your lion that shows identifying features, preferably the whisker spots.

2. Learn how to identify lions and estimate a lion's age by reading our 'How-To' guides.

3. Go to the lion database and enter the lion's features in the left-hand column. Read our 'identify lions' guide if you're unsure how to use this feature. This will search the database for possible matches.

4. Browse each lion's profile, using the images and identification sheets to try and identify your lion.

5. If you think you've identified your lion, complete the report form so that we can confirm the sighting. If you'd like to join our mailing list, please check the box and enter your email address.

Alternatively, if you would like to email us any recent photographs of lions, we can identify them for you.

Follow the lives of our study lions through our blog!
There’s always something going on with our big cats. You can read about the day-to-day lives of our study lions at marapredatorproject.blogspot.com, which is updated regularly with news and stories on our most popular lion stars.

Here, past safari-goers or anyone interested in the project can follow their favourite lions, and keep up to date on the project’s progress.

Donating to the Mara Predator Project
The project is in need of funding to continue this research. Your donations will go towards many different aspects, from helping to reduce conflicts with predators to lion monitoring. If you can make a donation to the project please visit our donation page to find out how.

Camera donation
We are in need of good quality cameras for our monitoring guides. If you have recently upgraded your camera and would like to donate your old one, please email us to find out how.