Skip to content

Lions Avoided Areas With Heavy Cattle Use in the Masai Mara

Lion resting in grass in the Masai Mara, Kenya
Research: Ecology · Conservation: Human–wildlife conflict

A nine-year study from community conservancies in Kenya’s Mara ecosystem shows that lions (Panthera leo) avoid areas with heavy cattle use even when the cattle themselves are not present at the same time.

Researchers analysed systematic observations of lions, livestock and environmental conditions from 2015 to 2023 across seven community conservancies. The modelled probability of lion presence was lower where cattle use was heaviest, and cattle had the strongest effect of any factor the researchers tested. In this study, “avoidance” therefore means that lions were recorded less often in parts of the landscape with heavier cattle use; the researchers did not follow individual lions with GPS to document them physically turning away from herds. Sheep and goats, as well as proximity to human settlements, were also associated with lower lion use of the landscape.

Avoidance persisted on days without cattle

The pattern remained when the researchers restricted part of the analysis to days without cattle. That suggests the lions were not simply hiding or moving away temporarily when herds passed through. Instead, repeated livestock use appears to create a longer-lasting pattern of spatial avoidance.

Cattle and lions often use the same conservancies at different times of day. Livestock typically graze during daylight and are enclosed at night, when lions are more active. The study found that intensive human and livestock use was associated with lower lion use of the landscape even with this temporal separation.

Avoidance may concentrate lions in quieter areas

The authors warn that concentrating lions into areas with less human activity could increase pressure among prides and alter how they use space.

The authors conclude that coexistence strategies in mixed-use conservancies should account for both the amount and the spatial distribution of livestock. They point in particular to spatial zoning, enforcement of grazing boundaries and reduced livestock pressure in key wildlife areas as ways to retain functional habitat for lions while maintaining pastoral use of the landscape.

Sources and image credit

  1. Mogensen, N., Packer, C., Svenning, J. C., Sankan, K., & Buitenwerf, R. (2026). Human-driven landscapes of fear for Africa's largest terrestrial predator in human-used conservation landscapes. Biological Conservation, 313, 111599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111599Primary peer-reviewed study. Nine years of systematic observations across seven Mara conservancies found lion presence negatively associated with cattle density; cattle was the strongest negative predictor.

Image: Diego Delso — lion photographed in the Masai Mara; representative image, not a study-identified individual. Source: Wikimedia Commons. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Ecology

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Lion Panthera leo Explore species

Independent research and conservation news archive

Did you find this information useful?

Wildlife Vagabond is independently built and maintained. Voluntary support helps cover source verification, hosting and continued work on research and conservation news.

Support Wildlife Vagabond

The news archive will remain freely available.