Kope Lion

KopeLion Inc. (short for Korongoro People’s Lion Initiative) is a non-profit NGO registered in USA and in Tanzania. (www.lionguardians.org).

Our mission is to foster human-lion coexistence through participatory research and sustainable community-based conservation. THE CHALLENGE AND THE OPPORTUNITY

- Lion numbers are declining rapidly across the globe, mainly due to loss of habitat. Where lions still co-exist with people, their main threat is direct killings

- Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the focus of this initiative and a UNES

CO world heritage site. It is a state-run multiple-use protected area where traditional pastoralist populations share the land with relatively abundant wildlife. The area’s rapid human population growth and expansion has intensified human-wildlife conflicts, which particularly affect lions. Currently lions are very few, and have disappeared from much of Ngorongoro’s community areas.

- Access to detailed monitoring data of local lion populations and their pedigrees for the past 50 years by the Serengeti Lion Project (www.lionresearch.org) gives us a unique opportunity to measure the direct impact and successes of our efforts on the vitality of the lion population.

- Since 2011 our focus has gone beyond lion research and expanded to community conservation as we believe local engagement is paramount to the continued existence of lions in this landscape. We now have positive collaboration with local communities that have embraced our efforts, becoming the foremost ambassadors for lions.

- Lions are indicators of overall ecosystem health. Our success in protecting them here offers an example of best management practice to prevent extinction of this imperilled species. HOW WE DO IT

In 2011 we established a full-time, on-site presence in Ngorongoro. Our work expands and builds upon a unique, long-term dataset including family histories and lion population genetics reaching back to 1962. Moving beyond ecological research into conservation activities incorporating communities was inspired by the successful model of Lion Guardians Ltd. Now our work includes:

- Community engagement (hiring local staff; embracing traditional practices; community outreach)

- Knowledge exchange (synergy between scientific and local ecological knowledge)

- Holistic exploration of human-lion interaction patterns

- Conflict mitigation and prevention of lion killings

- Field data collection on activity and ranging patterns of the Ngorongoro lion population (100-130 individuals)

- Mobilization of this knowledge (peer reviewed publications; in-country reports; live public presentations)

06/01/2026

“I’m ready for my close up.”

Camera traps are an important tool for monitoring wildlife across the Serengeti. They help us record species presence, movement patterns and activity in areas where we can’t always be watching.

Of course, some animals seem more interested in the camera than others.

Swipe through for a few of our favourite camera trap close ups. One of them isn’t wildlife… but apparently they wanted their moment in front of the camera too 🤣

Which one is your favourite?

05/28/2026

Meet Lambalamba.

Lambalamba is one of the five Team Tano males, the dominant coalition currently holding territory across the Ndutu area.

Born around mid 2019, he was first recorded by the KopeLion team in September 2022. Since then, he has grown into a powerful adult and remains an important member of the coalition.

These photographs were taken during recent lion monitoring in Ndutu, where Lambalamba and the rest of Team Tano continue to be regularly recorded by the KopeLion team.

Long term monitoring allows us to follow individual lions through different stages of their lives, helping us better understand lion movements, coalition dynamics and population trends across the ecosystem.

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05/21/2026

Earlier this month, the KopeLion Lion Monitoring and Conflict Mitigation Team held a community meeting in Masamburai village as an important first step towards working alongside the Datoga community in lion monitoring and strengthening coexistence efforts.

The meeting brought together community members, KopeLion staff and representatives from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, including community development, ecology and veterinary officers. Discussions focused on building trust, improving communication and finding local solutions to challenges affecting both people and wildlife.

Strong conservation starts with listening, cooperation and working together.

05/18/2026

The Ngorongoro landscape at dusk.

A place where wildlife, people and tradition have shared the same horizons for generations.

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05/13/2026

Earlier this week, the KopeLion team visited Doinyo Primary School in Alaitole Ward to deliver two new water storage tanks following a long standing request from the school community.

The tanks will help provide more reliable access to water for more than 300 students, supporting daily needs such as drinking water, cooking, cleaning and improved hygiene at the school. During dry periods, they will also help reduce the time students spend walking long distances to collect water from nearby rivers.

Access to clean and reliable water plays an important role in supporting education, health and wellbeing for students and their community.

05/11/2026

Field update from Roimen

Good news from the Twin Hill Pride.

After several months without any sightings, Maureen ( TWH-43) has finally been located again and appears healthy and in good condition. Even more exciting, she was found with new young cubs.

Roimen and the team were very happy to confirm that both Maureen and her cubs are doing well.

These sightings are an important reminder of the value of regular field monitoring, especially when pride members disappear for extended periods of time.

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at KopeLion.

Today we celebrate the care, strength and love that mothers bring into the world every single day.

This quiet moment between a lioness and her cub felt like the perfect reminder of the bond between a mother and child.

Wishing a beautiful day to all the mums, grandmothers, carers and mother figures out there today.

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05/08/2026

Today, Sir David Attenborough turns 100.

For generations, he has inspired people across the world to fall in love with nature and fight for its future. His storytelling helped many of us see wildlife not just as something beautiful, but something worth protecting.

His work highlighting community based conservation, including the efforts of in East Africa, helped bring global attention to a new way of protecting lions through coexistence rather than conflict.

As people working in lion conservation here in Ngorongoro, that message continues to resonate deeply with us.

How lucky are we to have lived in the same lifetime as David Attenborough.

Happy 100th birthday, and thank you for inspiring so many of us to care about the natural world.

📷: BBC

05/08/2026

Happy 100th Birthday Sir David Attenborough.

For generations, your voice has brought the natural world into our homes and inspired millions of people to care deeply about wildlife and conservation.

From lions on the African plains to the deepest parts of our oceans, your storytelling has helped people see not only the beauty of our planet, but also the importance of protecting it.

Thank you for a lifetime spent inspiring wonder, curiosity and respect for nature.

From all of us at KopeLion, happy birthday and thank you for everything you have given to the world of conservation.

David Attenborough reflects on several times he followed lion prides at night in the grasslands of Africa. Their roars sent tingles down his spine and seeing...

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New York, NY

Website

http://www.kopelion.org/

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