How Lions suddenly disappeared from Akagera national park

Charlene Jendry, an American conservationist once visited Rwanda in 1990 and according to him; Akagera National Park was a high-end touristic destination with the mighty lions, the Kings of the Jungle and the prime tourist attractions. Often, the park rangers warned tourists staying in hotels close or inside the park against sitting outside at night because lions would be roaming around.

Watching lions catch a kill is indeed exciting, Jendry said since he had clear view of the Akagera and thus a spectacular experience. Surprising in 1995, just after 5 years, he returned but the park had changed, with almost no lions in the park. The big cats’ number had immensely declined, headed to total extinction.

It is said that after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, thousands of Rwandan refugees returned from exile with extended families. Some of these were pastoralists while others were farmers therefore they needed land for cultivation and rearing their cattle  but land was so scarce to an extent that getting a plot was a matter of life or death, this was followed by land grabbing in so many areas where only the “haves” would get a plot. The “have not” ended up suffering the loss. So as the struggle for land increased, then the government intervened, cut off a huge chunk of Akagera national park and give it out to farmers and herders. That is when the park was reduced from 2500 to 1200 square Kilometers.

With the farmers close to the park then, wild animals were often hunted and killed. Lions fought back, defending their territories that they attacking cattle. Then the cattle keepers waged a deadly war against the lions.  Later, there would be no truce and so the herdsmen opted for a more lethal measure; poisoning the carcasses to kill prides of 9 to 12 lions. And By the year 2000, there were no more lions in Akagera.

Today Jes Gruner who is the Manager of the Park says the ecosystem equation could not balance that the national park shrunk to a third.

It is however very importing to have the lions in the park because tourists get frustrated once they don’t see the lions. Rwanda is therefore considering importing lions from South Africa and breeds the big cats back in the park, but the move has never materialized.

Kenya government however at the beginning of this year, supported the idea and was to give out 8 lions to Rwandato add to its other wildlife but then the Kenya’s wildlife conservation groups fiercely opposed the idea, demanding Rwanda to explain the extinction of its lion population. Hope fully, they will be able to keep them safe this time round once they get them.

Wildlife safarinews