Ngorongoro Crater lionesses of the Lakette pride still digging in for more. The gnu has clearly given up

Lion scouts Moloimet, Koley, and Julius tracking GPS-collared Tom. This lion male had all of a sudden moved into Ngarusi, a valley that only a few years ago hosted resident lions.

Lioness Taylor, aka LK90, resting among Cordifolia gutemburgia. A nasty plant that takes over big tracts of Ngorongoro landscape – and provides good cover for lions.

Ingela driving close to a group of resting lions, getting close in order to see the whisker spot patterns, for correctly identify them all for the long term lion monitoring.

Lions in the Ngorongoro Crater are so totally relaxed around cars – in fact they often seem to be attracted to them. As tourists or myself stop to veiw them, they often approach, sidling into the shade beside or below the vehicle.

Ngorongoro neighbours. Cubs from the Simba Survivors pride in the Serengeti chilling out in a comfortable sausage tree. Mamas are resting a couple of kilometers away.

Our Ilchokutis scouting Ingidokun at Lake Eyasi escarpment, Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Munge males, here 5.5 years old, in a good cuddle. Here 3 of 4 brother/cousins were still alive in the coalition – now only one remains. Fights among males is the biggest threat to males. Ngorongoro Crater.

Ingela showing the latest camera trap photos for curious residents of Longojoo, Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Eugene resting his chin on his lady (LK98). Lakes pride, Ngorongoro Crater. Photot taken just after a livestock herd with maasai herder had passed by.

Orng'esher ceremony, here the retiring warriors symbolically hand in their spears, walking sticks and pangas – leaving the warrior responsibilities for the incoming age-set.

Orng'esher ceremony

A traditional Maasai feast celebrated by Conservation Officer Roimen's boma. Here the scramble game between women and a man over a massive meat kebab.

Ngorongoro Crater cub born 2011 MG66/Tinah. His mum got expelled from her Munge pride, and raised MG109 and his sister alone. Didn't go very well, and Tinah was soon seen on her own again, in courtship with other males.

Conservation Officer Roimen photographing a male of the Gene-flow coalition in the Ngorongoro Crater.

KopeLion staff Kitasho and Roimen testing the spoor tracking skills of a candidate for a new Ilchokuti position.

We collect a lot of lion data, for example gps-position of lion tracks.

KopeLion staff gathering under a shady tree. Aloyce and William here explain the different, yet similar and complementary, roles of Ilchokuti and Lion Scouts.

Wildebeest tug-of-war, Ngorongoro Crater. This Munge lioness was alone and lost out to a large group of hyenas.

Community Outreach Assistant Koley teaching wound treatment procedures of injured livestock to the rest of our team.

An adult female of the Kibumbu pride, Serengeti. The last observation for the day, before setting up camp for the night. Serengeti National Park.

To collect our lion data we have to find them. Here scanning for lions in the Ngorongoro Crater. The numerous tourists help our search – a large gathering o tour-cars is often a sign of lions nearby.

A cub from the Transect pride in Central Serengeti, posing for an ID shot. We identify lions by their whisker spot pattern, and spend many hours getting photos for identification, so we can confirm who each of them are and continue monitoring their individual life histories. Serengeti NP.

Munge-born male MG93, part of a four-male coalition that successfully reigned 3 of the 5 prides in Ngorongoro Crater in 2011-2014. Now his only surviving brother remains the Lakette pride’s resident male.

In cold, lovely highland forest on top of Lemakarut mountain, Ngorongoro. Lazaro and Ingela checking out a camera trap.

Lagunita’s cubs of 2016 resting on a log in Elerai forest, Ngorongoro Crater.

Learning by doing. Here with support from Ndutu Lodge garage, KopeLion staff Roimen and Kitasho fix a puncture.

Lakette’s male LA107, here five months old. He grew up with his twin sister, left as a solitary nomad but hooked up with other Crater nomads. We found him dead as a 4.5 year’s old; puncture wound indicated he was killed by other lions.

Lion scout Ndolok pointing out areas of his working zone from a hill in Oldonyo Gol. Ingela and young Lowassa, the son of the area’s traditional leader, listening in.

Playful male cub, 4.5 months, of Lakette pride. Morning hour, play slliding into rest. Ngorongoro Crater.

LA79, aka Moyes, 8 years old, here having snuck over to the neighboring pride to mate with her nephew LA87 (5 year old, and resident male over the newly formed Lagunita pride). On the mounds of Ngorongoro Crater.

Koley, Lazaro, and Ingela have just found lion feces, on top of Lemakarut mountain. Getting a valuable genetic sample from lions we know very little of.

Koley teaching Lazaro (who was just hired) how to fill in the lion observation form. Lemakarut mountain.

A community member leads Lion Scouts Koley and Moloimet as they trace warriors pursuit of a male lion after it killed a donkey. This lead through some nearly impossible areas along the L. Eyasi escarpment. One warrior was injured in this hunt attempt, but the lion came away unscratched.

Ngorongoro Crater. MG92 and her 1.5 month’s old cubs – the first recorded offspring from the Gene-flow coalition. MG92 lost these cubs and came out of sync with rest of her sisters, and she subsequently became a solitary female.

Ingela photographing a female lion in the Crater. We regularly update each lions photo database for easier recognition. They also may have new scars, more teeth missing, new ear notches since we last saw them. All such signs helps to identify each individual.

On visit in Barafu Valley, Serengeti, KopeLion team members Roimen and Massey struck luck by finding some local medicine.

Lion Guardian games in Kenya 2016 (www.lionguradians.org). Here Lion Guardians from Kenya meet with their Tanzanian colleagues, warriors trained in the Lion Guardians model, to compete, dance and celebrate last year’s great efforts in lion protection.

Lion Guardian games in Kenya 2016 (www.lionguradians.org. To the left Ilchokuti Kisyombe, racing against a Kenyan Guardian.

Lion Guardian games in Kenya 2016 (www.lionguradians.org).

Lion Guardian games in Kenya 2016 (www.lionguradians.org. KopeLion’s Ilchokuti Timan, Kinyi and Lucas in the running race.

Lion Guardian games in Kenya 2016 (www.lionguradians.org. To the right Ilchokuti Katakara running three legged with a Kenyan Guardian.

KopeLion landrover parked in the shade as we climed the Noorkisaruni hill to explore the lay of the land. Rainy season with its stunning Ngorongoro landscape scenes.

Tom was found severely wounded by a spear. He was immobilized to have the wounds treated, and I was permitted to attach the first GPS-collar. Here we try out the new weighing bed, with staff of NCAA and Ndutu lodge.

Ndutu’s 4 year’s old Tom, after spear-wound treatment and equipped with a GPS-collar. Ingela waiting for him to wake up.

Upper Olduvai. Troths made from mud and wood, water bucketed up from hand dug wells. A rare water source, serving tens of thousands of livestock. In dry season livestock needs watering every 2nd day, on the day in between they go equally far to find enough grass. Hardy times, hardy cows!

Lakes pride, poised on a terrass near the goose ponds. Elephants are too far off to be of any worry. Lakes pride is the second oldest pride in the Ngorongoro Crater after Munge pride. Lakes pride existed for many lion generations since 1971.

Setting up camp for the night – where ever night catches up after a day of field and community work. Here in Ngotot Osumbat, near a Maasai settlement on NW Crater rim. Ingela had issues starting the vehicle, so kept it on a slope so she could easily push-start it.

Cloud blanket over Oldeani

KopeLion team members Roimen Lelya, Letiro Niini and Julius Kinini sharing the grilled leg of a goat – a beautifully clear afternoon on the Lake Eyasi escarpment. Moments like these are important for team building and an encouragement for working with the often challenging predator conflict issues.

Ingela practising throwing a spear as team gathered to to rename the project. KopeLion baptized December 2015

Lion Scout Kayanda pointing out recent tracks of lions to Ingela.

Ingela and lion scout Ndolok Kilitia chatting about his records of a depredation on goat by a cheeta – making sure we have the same underestanding of what a cheeta is (Maasai often call leopard and cheeta by same name - a spotted cat is a spotted cat ;-))

Serengeti lioness. Ingela captured a weird smirk while taking ID photos for Serengeti Lion Project’s long-term lion study.

We reach out to the Maasai commuinity. Here we are presenting our work in a school building.

It´s important to us to inform about our work and to listen to the people of Ngorongoro.

Lakette’s twins LA106 and LA107, hanging out in a fig tree in Lerai Forest, Ngorongoro Crater. The male LA107 was later found dead up on the Crater rim, likely killed by other lions. His sister LA106 lives on – raising 3 cubs in Lagunita pride.

Ilchokuti Katakara and Lion Scout Moloimet (from left) tracking for newly collared Bahati. Moloimet shows newly employed Katakara how the equipment works, an exciting day for Katakara, who on his 2nd day of work found and led us to this lion, that we managed to collar - and that he chose to name Bahati (meaning Luck, in Kiswahili).

Ingela on roof, tracking signals from GPS-collared Puyol. The flat terrain in Ndutu makes telemetry tracking tricky – your highest point may well be on vehicle roof.

Puyol immobilized for collaring - our 2nd GPS collar deployed in the NCA lion study. We always take a measure of heart girth – not without sweat on a big male like Puyol.

Puyol being weighed by Ingela and KopeLion team members Koley, Mudi, Roimen and Julius. Team-work is a must as you lift a full-bellied male, weighing 230kg.

Lonely gnu in the Ngorongoro Crater

After a recent lion killing event we gathered people in the Oldonyo Gol area to discuss better ways forward. Under the stars we rigged up projector, screen and generator and showed this far-away community our projects activities and the benefit of conservation.

Searching lions on Crater floor. Rainy seasons long grass and fields full of flowers hide the aardwark holes. Always stay equipped with shovel, pick-axe and hi-lift jack.

Ngorongoro landscape, Ol’donyo Lengai volcano in the background. The great gnu and zebra migration fills the vast plains.

A team from BBC came to document our work in April 2015.

Ngorongoro Crater. The Gene-flow coalition’s take-over of the Munge pride resulted in a cub boom, May 2016.

Our full team gathered in Decemebr 2015 to come up with a new name for the project, and title for the staff. From then on, KopeLion it is; Korongoro People’s Lion Initiative.

After the naming of KopeLion, our team feasted on goats grilled for the occasion.

Eugene and Genius, two of four male lions in the Gene-flow coalition. Ngorongoro Crater.

KopeLion staff at a location that the young lion brothers Laetolia (then GPS collared), Malcom and Museum stayed at for a couple of days. A buffalo carcass told the tale.

Ndutu woodlands. Nayomi’s cub Nanook with his dad Puyol. Having GPS collars on a couple of lions in this area has taught us much about these rarely seen lions, and been an invaluable tool in protecting them.

In March 2015 we found Nayomi feeding on a wildebeest in Ndutu Woodland. The same afternoon we managed to GPS-collar her. We have since followed her closely, and kept her safer from the conflict dangers in her home-place.

Puyol playing with his 2 month’s old son Nanook, Ndutu woodlands.

In the dry season the risk of fire is impending. Climate change and overgrazing by cattle has made the land even drier. Here a fire in Ndutu in 2014.

Checking camera traps along Engiju Ngitok river. The fine dust of Ndutu woodlands had turned into slick mud after last night's big rain. Didn't get up the right speed, and sunk right into it.

Finding useful equipment for a mud misery.

Olmoti is a smaller crater in the highlands just north of Ngorongoro Crater. A place with wild prey and good space, that has good potential to host more lions that it does today.

Zebras grazing in the Ngorongoro Crater

On a hot day evaporation is great from the Lake Makat (Maasai for ‘salt’) or Lake Magadi. This is the central soda lake in Ngorongoro Crater filled by the Munge River.

Well fed lions inside the Ngorongoro Crater are no threat to herding Maasai

The greatest danger for male lions is other male lions. If dispersing males from Serengeti eventually reach the Crater, they will encounter perhaps the greatest obstacle; that of large and well-established groups of Crater born males. Those well-fed males, with massive manes on full display are not keen on male intruders.

A less visited part of Ngorongoro is the rugged terrain along the Lake Eyasi escarpment with its scenic rocky outcrops and knobbly Commiphora trees.

The male take-over of lion prides is often a violent affair. Here C-Boy gets well beaten up by the Killers coalition in Serengeti. Surprisingly, after licking his wounds, C-boy regained strength and successfully took over a smaller nearby pride.

Ngorongoro Crater, October 2016. The Lagunita pride’s 3 lionesses successfully raising 9 cubs sired by Kijana and Hjalmar the Dreadful.

Sun setting over Ndutu’s Big Marsh. The pride bearing the name of the area in a content pile on top of their recent zebra-kill.

Ingela and lion scout Moloimet with other herders in Esere, discussing the latest event when a striped hyena ripped into livestock enclosure (boma) and attacked goats.

A striped hyena ripped into a livestock enclosure (boma) and attacked goats. This goat had horn ripped out, and was being treated by Moloimet.

Serengeti’s vast plains filled with migrating gnus. The ground vibrates.