&Beyond Leaders in Lion Conservation in Africa

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Leader in Lion Conservation

Last month, two large male lions from Madikwe Game Reserve were released onto &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve. They will spend one month in a predator boma to allow them to adapt to their new environment before officially being released onto the reserve. This follows the successful reintroduction of two other male lions from Tswalu Desert Reserve in January 2010. The reintroduction of new male lions into Phinda’s existing lion population aims to stimulate pride takeovers, reducing the risk of inbreeding and thereby maintaining the genetic integrity of Phinda’s lions.

Phinda has made a significant contribution to the protection of this species in South Africa. It was one of the first private game reserves in South Africa to introduce lions, thereby extending their historical range. Since the first 13 lions were introduced in 1992 and 1993, 150 lions (44 litters) have been born on Phinda land, enabling &Beyond to help establish other lion populations in private game reserves in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West and Limpopo provinces.

Phinda is also proud to have sheltered one of the oldest free-roaming lions on record. This particular female was introduced as an 18-month-old in May 1992 and died of fight-related injuries in September 2009 (she was just under 20 years of age when she passed away). The other oldest known lion was a 19 year and 9 month old found in the Serengeti.
Well done to the Phinda team for their ongoing contribution to lion conservation in Africa.