Spotted!

Laikipia is home to a diversity of incredible wildlife species. The Lion Rangers and Researchers of Laikipia are always taking excellent shots of the local wildlife they spot on their field patrols. Here, you can view a selection of our favourites.

East African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus)

Laikipia's Innovative Photographers: The Laikipia Lion Rangers

The Laikipia Lion Rangers patrol over a total of 111,250 hectares of Kenya's prime Lion Landscape, helping protect community livelihoods for those sharing the landscape with nearly 300 wild lions.⁠ On their patrols, the Lion Rangers and Lion Landscapes Researchers have bumped into an incredible array of wildlife, capturing some great sightings. Incredibly, the Rangers don't often have cameras, so they use their mobile phones and binoculars to get these incredible close-up wildlife shots surrounded by a black rim.

The African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana). The largest terrestrial mammal.

Waterside Spots by Thomas Mojong, Terrapin turtles and Nile crocodile.

Leucistic "blonde" Zebra by Thomas Mojong. This zebra has less black melanin pigmentation than the other normal zebras.

Two Defassa waterbuck (Left) and Female Greater Kudu (Right) by Lion Ranger Boniface Lowoi, on Loisaba Conservancy.

Oxpecker and Wattled Starling sitting on White Rhino at Lewa Conservancy, by Thomas Mojong.

Lioness hiding in the undergrowth at Mugie Conservancy, by Elaine.

Lion with zebra kill at Loisaba Conservancy.

Lions and Ecosystems

Although our conservation work focuses on lions and other large carnivores, their presence will protect and maintain healthy ecosystem functioning. All species are important to ensure the health of an ecosystem but lions are particularly important as apex predators, meaning their decline or removal would lead to ecosystem collapse. If large carnivores disappeared, herd populations would boom and grazers would eat the grass, transforming the savanna as we know it.

A Lion Landscape is a landscape that supports a viable population of wild lions, or any other pinnacle carnivore species. To do this it must also support healthy wild prey populations, healthy habitat, and benefit local people. ⁠Our lion conservation and research work focuses on how local communities, their livestock and lions can co-exist in these lion landscapes.⁠

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By supporting us at Lion Landscapes, you are supporting the maintenance of healthy and biodiverse landscapes. Be sure to follow us and be the first to see any new spots!