848 S. Dolrenry et al.


FIG. 1 The study area (the communally-owned Group Ranches: Mbirikani, Eselenkei, Olgulului and Kuku) and neighbouring National Parks, showing three of the main dispersal events between the protected areas: Ndelie, lion no. 29 dispersed from Tsavo West National Park to Eselenkei Group Rranch during 2007–2010; Selenkay, lion no. 61, dispersed from Amboseli National Park to Eselenkei Group Ranch during 2009–2010, and Osapuku, lion no. 164, dispersed from Eselenkei Game Ranch to Kapiti plains in 2014.


facilitated the compilation of a reference database of all lions of known age and subsequent analyses of long-distance and multi-generational dispersal patterns (Dolrenry, 2013; Dolrenry et al., 2016). We documented 189 individuals en- gaging in dispersal activities (i.e. permanently moving out of their natal range). The longest observed Euclidean dispersal distances were c. 200 km travelled by three dispersing males. Nearly 30%(n = 56) of dispersing individuals origi- nated from a nearby protected area. Specifically, three dis- persal events associated with protected areas, occurring over 7 years, provide an understanding of the linkages between protected and unprotected areas, and how human tolerance may have contributed to these connections. The first of these dispersal events occurred in 2007:male


lion no. 29, Ndelie, first observed as a subadult with a female companion of the same age (estimated to be 3 years old, and a sibling), dispersed from TsavoWest National Park into the neighbouring community lands. In 2010 he established himself as pridemale on Eselenkei Group Ranch, a Euclidian distance of 110kmfromthe initial observation location(Dolrenry, 2013). The second event occurred in 2009: female lion no. 61,


Selenkay, with two female cohorts of the same age (c. 2 years and 1 month old), dispersed an observed Euclidian distance of 52 km from Amboseli National Park to Eselenkei Group Ranch. Selenkay and Ndelie resided together and bred suc- cessfully for 3 years. The third event provided evidence of linkages between


three protected areas. Male lion no. 164, Osapuku, was born to Selenkay and Ndelie in July 2011, one of a litter


of four cubs (three males and one female). There was a female cub from Selenkay’s sister, lion no. 59, also sired by Ndelie, who associated with them to form a cohort of five individuals. In 2012, at the age of 1.3 years, Osapuku dis- persed together with his cohorts. They stayed within the broader study area for another 1.5 years although they split into two smaller groups (one male and one female together and two males and one female in another group). Before dis- persing from the study area during the first months of 2014, Osapuku was observed on his own several times on the nor- thern boundaries of Eselenkei Group Ranch. In October 2014 a male lion was photographed in the Kapiti plains, an area of privately owned ranches that are not under any formal protection but that have varying levels of wildlife conservation activities that support coexistence (M. Mbithi, pers. comm.). The Kapiti plains area is known to be used extensively by lions that are residents of Nairobi National Park (Rudnai, 1979). The lone male lion was not one of the identified individuals of the Park (M. Mbithi, pers. comm.). Photographs of the male were compared to the database of lions for the Amboseli–Tsavo ecosystem (Dolrenry, 2013) and, based upon vibrissa spot patterns, he was independently identified by two trained biologists as Osapuku. To reach the Kapiti plains from his natal area, he traversed a developing area of high human density (a settlement of 5,000–10,000 people), and travelled c. 200 km (Fig. 1). This was the first time in 20 years that a new individual was observed intermingling with the lions of Nairobi National Park (M. Mbithi, pers. comm.).


Oryx, 2020, 54(6), 847–850 © 2020 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605319000656


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