Samburu warriors turn from lion hunters to protectors as Pride of Samburu premieres in Nairobi

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 5 — Samburu warriors who once hunted lions as a traditional rite of passage are now helping protect the animals, contributing to a dramatic recovery of the…

The transformation is at the heart of Pride of Samburu, a National Geographic documentary that premiered in Nairobi this week, chronicling how Samburu communities are combining traditional knowledge, technology and community-led conservation to protect lions while enabling people, livestock and wildlife to coexist in the same landscape.

Produced by the National Geographic Society in collaboration with Ewaso Lions and Kenyan filmmakers, the film follows the work of National Geographic Explorers Shivani Bhalla, Jeneria Lekilelei and Toby Otieno in Samburu.

At the centre of the story is Lekilelei, a former Samburu warrior who became concerned after discovering that only 11 lions remained in his homeland.

Through community conservation programmes and scientific research, the population has since risen to more than 60.

Source: Capital FM