Lions released into South African park

This video is called Male Cheetah in Mountain Zebra National Park, South Africa.

From Wildlife Extra:

Lions released into Mountain Zebra National Park

Lions back in Mountain Zebra National Park after 130 year absence

April 2013. Three lions have released into South Africa’s Mountain Zebra National Park outside Cradock in the Eastern Cape, becoming the first free-roaming lions in the area after an absence of over 130 years.

One lioness and two lions

The lone lioness was sourced from Karoo National Park outside Beaufort West, while the two males were brought in from Welgevonden Game Reserve in Limpopo. The female has been resident in the Park’s boma since February, while the two males arrived earlier this month – allowing them to acclimatise to their new surroundings, and each other, before their release.

Park Manager, Megan Taplin, says the decision to introduce lion into the Park was mainly for biodiversity reasons. “Lions would have occurred here historically and it is SANParks policy to reintroduce the wildlife species which would have occurred in an area before hunting or habitat loss forced them to local extinction in earlier centuries. They will also occupy the niche of large predator in the ecosystem, keeping the numbers of larger herbivores in the Park in check,” said Taplin.

Increasing numbers of herbivores

The three were released from the Park’s boma on 25th April, as the third predator species in the Park – after the introduction of cheetah in 2007 and brown hyena in 2008. “SANParks took the decision to allow cheetah to first establish themselves in the Park before introducing lion which may compete with the cheetah for food. The numbers of large herbivores such as black wildebeest, red hartebeest, eland and gemsbok have now reached levels deemed sufficient to support lion,” Taplin said.

Collared

The lion are collared so that Park Management can monitor them in the first few months or years after release and so that rangers and researchers can observe what habitats they use and which species they prey on. Taplin says this will enable them to measure the lions’ impact on prey species and determine if more should be introduced in future.

Lion often explore the extent of the Park soon after release before establishing themselves in the areas where they have the most success in hunting. “On release into a new area, lion often prey on a variety of species before settling down. However, we predict that they will prey mostly on species such as black wildebeest and kudu,” said Taplin.

Predator proof fencing

Cheetah tracking and guided walks will continue, led by the Park’s knowledgeable guides who are trained to walk in Big Five areas. The fencing of the two picnic sites inside the game viewing area was completed in preparation for the lions’ arrival. The Park is already enclosed with predator-proof fencing, which was erected prior to the release of cheetah in 2007.

Apart from their biodiversity value, the introduction of the lion will add to Mountain Zebra‘s tourism value – offering visitors a new species to look out for in the Park. “I think it will be wonderful to hear lion roaring at night.

Mountain Zebra National Park

Situated near Cradock in the malaria-free Eastern Cape, this national park was originally proclaimed in 1937 to save the dwindling Cape mountain zebra population. Now, at over 28 000 hectares, the park boasts a conservation success story, protecting over 700 zebra as well as wildlife such as endangered black rhino and cheetah.

Related articles

• Good Indian lion news (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Three National Parks in the Karoo, South Africa, February 2013 (rogerpawling.wordpress.com)
• Cheetahs in race to survive as only 10,000 left (dailystar.com.lb)
• Penguins Eastern Cape joins SANCCOB (stfrancischronicle.com)
• Study Shows Male Lions are Ambush-Style Predators (natureworldnews.com)
• As Tigers Go Extinct, Chinese Medicine Switches to Lions (kismetsoubliette.wordpress.com)
• Re-Introduction Of Lions By Human Intervention (ramyabdeljabbar.wordpress.com)

Good Indian lion news

This video from India says about itself:

Dec 25, 2012

The Last Refuge is a film on the natural history and the conservation issues related to the Asiatic Lion, a critically endangered species which survives in the wild only in the Gir Forest and adjoining area in Gujarat. The last specimen in Pakistan died in 1842 and after the middle of the nineteenth century the entire species was wiped out except in India where only 12 lions were left in 1880. All lions in Gir are descendants of the once surviving 12 lions of the area. Inbreeding has caused a weakening of the gene pool.

The Gir Forest in Gujarat is as old as 3000 years and there are people living inside the forest whose heritage is almost 1000 years old. The forest has the highest density of top carnivores. The thick scrub forest and a shortage of prey do not allow the Asiatic Lion to hunt in prides. The Asian lion often stalks the prey individually. Both sexes participate simultaneously in eating as against the African custom of first allowing the lion to have his share. An adult lion may consume 10 to 20 kg of meat. During difficult times it can go without food for more than 10 days.

The presence of human population and livestock in and around the forest together with a reduction in genetic quality in the lions has pushed the species to the point of extinction. There are just a little over 400 of these magnificent animals left in the wild. The loss of habitat is forcing some to leave the forest.

From Wildlife Extra:

Indian court rules in favour of translocating Asiatic lions to new reserve

“Human Assisted Dispersal” of India’s lions will be a very good development

April 2013. India’s Supreme Court’s recent judgment permitting translocation of some of the endangered Asiatic Lions from Gujarat’s Gir National Park to Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh is considered to be a good and essential step for the long-term survival of the species.

Rationale

The re-introduction of Asiatic Lions into some part of their former range, which once existed from West Asia to eastern parts of India, has long been debated at various levels. Commenting on the re-introduction of Asiatic Lions in Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary, Dr Asad Rahmani, Director, BNHS said “It is a very good development and we welcome the move. Relocating some lions is a wonderful idea for the long-term survival of the species and should have been done much earlier”.

Explaining the rationale, he added that the region where the re-introduction would take place was formerly a part of the natural range of Asiatic Lions. Lions are adaptable animals and can withstand the high temperatures in central India. They were also found in a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions in their former range across Asia. Dr Rahmani who is also a member of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has been quoted in the recent judgment saying that that sporadic presence of tigers in Kuno was in no case detrimental to re-introduction of lions.

Human Assisted Dispersal required as no forest corridors exist

BNHS observes that whenever natural dispersal of wild species is not possible any longer due to lack of habitat corridors because of human activities and settlements, it is essential to have Human Assisted Dispersal. Dr Rahmani elaborates on the point saying that although there has been good growth in the numbers of Asiatic Lions in Gujarat following conservation measures, there are no forest corridors available at present for the animals to disperse to other areas of their former range in other states. In such cases Human Assisted Dispersal is required. The same can be used for other threatened species on case to case basis.

Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) is fully behind re-introduction of lions to Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary. BNHS is of the opinion that many other threatened species can be conserved using this approach wherever it is necessary and appropriate to do so.

Related articles

• SC allows translocation of Asiatic lions to Madhya Pradesh (thehindu.com)
• India: Relocation of endangered Gir lions welcomed (gulfnews.com)
• Shift Asiatic lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh: SC to Centre (greatcatsoftheworld.wordpress.com)
• Budget: Rs 2-crore aid for ‘endangered’ Asiatic lions (greatcatsoftheworld.wordpress.com)
• SC allows new home in Madhya Pradesh for Gujarat lions (vancouverdesi.com)
• Court green light for shifting Gir lions to M.P. (thehindu.com)
• Indian state must share rare lions (bbc.co.uk)
• SC gives go-ahead for relocation of Asiatic lions from Gujarat to MP (ibnlive.in.com)

African lions extinct by US American hunters?

This video says about itself:

A look at the strategies adopted by a pride of South African lions as they hunt zebras, impalas and giraffes in the Singita Game Reserve.

From the (conservative) Daily Mail in England:

The real killers: American trophy hunters drive African lions closer to extinction

By Daily Mail Reporter

UPDATED: 14:37 GMT, 2 March 2011

African lions are being driven towards extinction by American hunters determined to bag trophies, wildlife organisations have warned.

The lions, already threatened by conflict with farmers over land and by shrinking habitats, are being driven to the brink by the increasing demand from the U.S. for personal trophies, such as lion skins, and a growing trade in animal parts.

Jeff Flocken, of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said: ‘The king of the jungle is heading toward extinction, and yet Americans continue to kill lions for sport. It is time for this senseless killing and unsustainable practice to stop.’

A coalition of wildlife organisations has petitioned the White House to list the African lion as an endangered species and ban the import of hunting trophies such as skins, claws and skulls, which can sell for thousands of dollars.

The coalition, which includes IFAW, the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International, Born Free and Defenders of Wildlife, said that two-thirds of the lions hunted for sport were taken to the U.S. in the past 10 years.

They said that at least 5,663 lions were traded for recreation between 1998 and 2008, with 64 percent of the resulting trophies being imported into America.

There were up to 200,000 lions in Africa 100 years ago, said the coalition. That figure has now fallen to between 23,00 and 40,000, with lions extinct in 26 countries.

The practice is made worse by the hunters’ desire to bag a dominant male, according to a report in The Guardian. The death of the leader makes the pride unstable, with the new dominant male often killing all the cubs to preserve his position. Mr Flocken said: ‘The countries that allow hunting have the worst drops in lion populations.’

Hunters are by no means the only threat. The human population in Afria, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, is growing rapidly and could hit 1.75 billion by 2050. Wilderness areas are being encroached upon to make room for agriculture and to build roads – such as the controversial highway across the Serengeti.

Related articles

• Roar of Support to Protect Remaining African Lions (newswatch.nationalgeographic.com)
• Lions On The Brink (hsus.typepad.com)
• Yet another vital cause – the African Lion (learningfromdogs.com)
• Urgent: Please Roar (sign this petition) to Help Save the Disappearing Lions. Deadline is Monday! {Infographic} (elephantjournal.com)
• African lions – the killer kings in mortal danger from man and sham medicine (guardian.co.uk)
• Jeffrey Flocken: Banding Together to Ban Trophy Hunting and Protect African Lion Livelihood (huffingtonpost.com)
• South African lion news (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Illinois Readies to Ban the Sale of African Lion Meat (news.softpedia.com)

Trophy hunting banned in Botswana and Zambia

This video is called Botswana wildlife expedition 2012.

From Wildlife Extra:

Seeing the light – Benefits to banning hunting in Botswana and Zambia

The recent decision by the governments of Botswana and Zambia to halt trophy hunting has been praised in some conservation circles in southern Africa. Ian Michler explains why.

Towards the end of last year the Botswana Government announced that trophy hunting will no longer be allowed on any state or community land from the end of 2013. The ban extends to what is known as ‘citizen hunting’ for the pot and covers all species, including elephants. And then in early January this year the government of Zambia annulled the tender process for hunting concessions in 19 Game Management Areas (GMAs) and cancelled all hunting licences and quotas for at least one year. It also introduced an immediate and indefinite ban on the hunting of lions and leopards and committed to a thorough review of the hunting industry.

These are extremely sensible stands and both governments should be congratulated for their vision. Although taken independently, the decisions are based on similar factors that clearly indicate a further loss of support for trophy hunting as an effective wildlife management option.

Little benefit to communities

On the economic front, the contribution of hunting has always been overplayed. In most countries the industry has only a six-month season and the benefits delivered to local economies by the small camps, with their limited complements of staff and clients, are insubstantial. The real money goes into the pockets of the operators and is often collected outside the home states.

Photo safaris replacing hunting

In the case of Botswana, the photographic sector has steadily replaced hunting over the past two decades. In the process, the ecotourism industry as a whole has grown significantly and its comparative advantages have become increasingly evident. The government now has records relating to concession fees, employment numbers and opportunities, wages and taxes paid, contributions to conservation and a host of other criteria that enable them to make direct comparisons between the two industries.

Hunting contributes just US$3 million to Zambia

In Zambia, where approximately US$3- million is earned annually from trophy hunting, Tourism and Arts Minister Sylvia Masebo said it loud and clear: ‘Why should we lose our animals for US$3-million a year? The benefits we get from [photographic] tourist visits are much higher.’ And as reported in a number of stakeholder meetings held after the bans were announced, remuneration to local people from hunting is simply not materialising; communities located within or on the borders of GMAs are as impoverished as ever.

Hunting bad for the ecology

The ban on hunting makes just as much sense when it comes to ecological considerations. The primary claim in this regard is the industry’s much-touted anti-poaching role, but this is totally misrepresented. Poaching occurs in all protected areas and the intensity of it is driven by factors such as the prevailing socioeconomic conditions and levels of policing.

Protection from poachers

It is certainly true that the presence of tour operators and their clients acts as a deterrent to poaching, and while hunting concessions claim the same advantage, the protection they offer to wildlife is no better. If anything, it could be argued that whereas the hunting season lasts only six months, most photographic operators are in business year round, which translates into a far more significant presence on the ground. In both Botswana and Zambia, the hunters have occupied concessions around the perimeters of national parks and reserves, and this is where the poaching starts.

Selous suffers terribly from poaching

Further afield, Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve serves as a more obvious example of the connection between hunting and poaching. Almost 95 per cent of its land is parcelled out among more than 40 hunting concessions yet, as reported by conservation agencies and the Tanzanian government, thousands of elephants are being lost to ivory poachers each year. Another spurious claim put forward by advocates of hunting pertains to the gene pool. Rather than targeting the old and infirm, as they assert, trophy hunting is actually all about pursuing the prime animals within the gene pool of individual species. That is why record books are kept and why every operator aims to get as many entries in them as possible and thus obtain a marketing edge. The loss of established animals year after year hammers the breeding stock and is extremely disruptive to the social systems and behavioural patterns of the different species.

Given the existing pressures on wildlife in most protected areas, this is why trophy hunting is at odds with conservation. How can any activity that seeks to kill what everyone else is so diligently trying to protect be making a contribution? When viewed comparatively, there is no contest as to which land-use option for nationally protected areas is superior. The money involved and a powerful lobby will no doubt keep hunting grounds open in some countries for years to come, but Botswana and Zambia, by breaking ranks, at the very least have laid down a marker to the conservation world – the role of trophy hunting as a conservation tool needs to be thoroughly reviewed.

Related articles

• Jeffrey Flocken: Banding Together to Ban Trophy Hunting and Protect African Lion Livelihood (huffingtonpost.com)
• No Trophy Hunting in Botswana and Zambia? (newswatch.nationalgeographic.com)
• Hunting ban only for 19 blocks – Masebo (daily-mail.co.zm)
• Trophy Hunting (christopherclarkeblog.wordpress.com)
• Ban on wild game hunting (freevalscribes.wordpress.com)
• Africa’s 10 best safari guides (telegraph.co.uk)
• South Africa rhino poaching hits 96 for 2013 (wildlifenews.co.uk)
• Shoots, kills and trades in animal parts (thehindu.com)
• A Complicated Conversation on Conservation (education.nationalgeographic.com)

Goddess Sekhmet statues discovery in Egypt

This video says about itself:

Iconic: Statue of Sekhmet

March 19, 2009

Dating to the reign of King Tutankhamun‘s grandfather, this Egyptian sculpture is a very fine example of one of the oldest known Egyptian deities, the lion-headed warrior goddess also known as Mistress of Dread and Lady of Slaughter. On display in the Galleries of Africa: Egypt at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the statue is one of the Museum’s iconic objects.

From Ahram Online in Egypt:

More Sekhmet statues unearthed at Amenhotep III‘s temple in Luxor

Black granite statues of the ancient Egyptian lioness goddess Sekhmet were unearthed Monday at King Amenhotep III‘s temple on the west bank of Luxor

Nevine El-Aref, Monday 11 March 2013

Egyptian and European excavators unearthed a collection of black granite statues depicting the ancient Egyptian lioness Goddess Sekhmet during their routine excavation at the King Amenhotep III funerary temple in the Kom Al-Hittan area on the west bank of Luxor.

The statues depict the goddess Sekhmet in her usual form, sitting on the throne with a human body and lioness’s head.

“This is not the first time statues of the lioness goddess have been unearthed at Kom Al-Hittan,” said Mohamed Ibrahim, minister of state for antiquities adding that the Egyptian-European mission led by German Egyptologist Horig Sourouzian has previously unearthed 64 statues of Sekhmet of different shapes and sizes.

Ibrahim explained that such a large number highlights the important role of the goddess during the reign of the 18th dynasty king Amenhotep III, father of the monotheistic king Akhnaten and grandfather of the golden king Tutankhamun.

Sekhmet was believed to be a protective goddess as she was also the goddess of war and destruction. “Some Egyptologists,” pointed out Ibrahim, “believe that king Amenhotep constructed a large number of goddess Sekhmets in an attempt to cure him of a specific disease that he suffered during his reign.” Sekhmet was well known of her supposed ability to cure critical deseases.

Mansour Boreik, supervisor of Luxor antiquities, told Ahram online that the statues are very well preserved and each one is two metres tall. He continued saying that the newly discovered statues prove Amenhotep III’s funerary temple was once filled with Sekhmet statues of different sizes and shapes, similar to his temple on the east bank of Luxor, known as goddess Mut temple. This temple acted as a symbol of stability and prosperity during Amenhotep III’s reign.

10 years ago, the archeologists unearthed a large number of statues of Amenhotep III and his wife Queen Tiye; they also unearthed some parts of the temple’s walls.

“The work we are doing here is not only about advancing historical knowledge, but also about saving the last remnants of a temple that was once very prestigious; it is unfortunate that it been badly damaged,” Sourouzian said.

The teams aim to produce a virtual reconstruction of the temple using the latest computer programmes, she added, saying that this reconstruction would show the original position of every surviving piece within the original temple.

See also here.

Related articles

• Sekhmet’s bits: Forgotten statue uncovered (dailynewsegypt.com)
• Ancient Mysteries – Newly discovered colossi of Amenhotep III to be restored (disclose.tv)
• Luxor necropolis among new Egyptian finds (sott.net)
• Amenhotep III statues moved for restoration (dailynewsegypt.com)
• Ancient Shoes Turn Up in Egypt Temple (news.discovery.com)

Lioness sniffs wildlife photographer, video

This video, recorded in Botswana, says about itself:

Feb 26, 2013

One minute you’re taking a few photos of a lion pride in the distance, and the next, a curious 300-pound lioness is sniffing your crotch. It’s just another day at the office for Earth Touch cameraman Graham Springer.

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• Lion Attack (Relentless Enemies) – Okavango Delta, Botswana – Brendon Cremer (photobotos.com)
• 2010 Okavango Wetland Bird Survey: Wilderness Worth Saving… (newswatch.nationalgeographic.com)
• No Trophy Hunting in Botswana and Zambia? (newswatch.nationalgeographic.com)
• You looking at me? Curious lioness ignores dinner and gets up close and personal to photographer’s camera (dailymail.co.uk)
• Playful pride: Big cats and their cubs take time out to relax in the savannah sunrise (dailymail.co.uk)

South African lion news

This video from South Africa is called Discover Karoo National Park.

From Wildlife Extra:

Two male lions introduced to South Africa’s Karoo National Park

Karoo lion population boosted

February 2013. Two male lions from the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park have been released into the Karoo National Park outside Beaufort West, bringing the total number of lions now in the Park to nine.

The two lions were released from a lion enclosure in the eastern section of the Park. Park Management predicts that they will most likely develop their own fixed territories within the Park and defend these territories from the other resident males.

Reintroduced in 2010

In 2010 a small founder population of lion was introduced into Karoo from Addo Elephant National Park outside Port Elizabeth. The group was originally all from Kgalagadi or offspring from the original group of Kgalagadi lions that were introduced to Addo in 2003. They have settled very well into the Karoo National Park and two cubs were born in November last year.

The decision was made to introduce the two three-year-old male lions into the Karoo to prevent inbreeding as a result of an island effect (no migration of other lion individuals into or out of the population), and to increase genetic diversity in the Park. The two have been housed in a temporary enclosure since their arrival in November to adapt and acclimatise to their new environment.

Danger to the new cubs

In the wild, it isn’t unusual for young lions, when taking over a pride, to kill the recent cubs from that pride so the lioness come into season more quickly.

Wildlife Extra asked SANParks if this was a danger.

Their response was “There is a possibility that it may happen, but the pride will always defend the cubs against any intruders. The cubs are a few months old already and are now walking with the other adults. They are not as vulnerable to “predation” by other lions as when they are still weak and only a few weeks old. Due to the size of the Park, it also may be that the new lions will only encounter the cubs at a much later stage when they are bigger.”

Balance herbivore numbers

Park manager Nico van der Walt says, “The introduction of predators into Karoo National Park forms part of attempts to restore the ecological processes in the Park, specifically to re-establish the process of predation. This will help to control herbivore numbers naturally and decrease the need for capturing and culling, which is in line with SANParks’ ‘minimum interference’ philosophy”.

In protected areas with no large predators, herbivore numbers can soar to unnaturally high densities that could in return be detrimental to sensitive ecosystems like the Karoo. The lions fulfil their ecological role by removing older and weaker animals from the system and by impacting on the herbivore population size in the Karoo National Park.

It is envisaged that the two sub-adult males will hopefully take over the role of dominant males at a later stage, when the two older males reach their “retiring age” and lose their control over the pride.

Economic benefit

Kgalagadi lion are known for their impressive dark brown manes and enhance the tourism product offered. “Introducing more lion into the Park has an economic spinoff as it improves the ecotourism value of the area, as large carnivores are charismatic species which people like to see, or even merely to know are present in an area,” says van der Walt.

March 2013. A new report has concluded that nearly half of Africa’s wild lion populations may decline to near extinction over the next 20-40 years without urgent conservation measures. The plight of many lion populations is so bleak, the report concludes that fencing them in – and fencing humans out – may be their only hope for survival: here.

Related articles

• Half of Africa’s lions could be gone in 40 years (science.nbcnews.com)
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Zambian lioness Lady Liuwa update

This video from Zambia says about itself:

The Last Lioness (Full Documentary) HD

Dec 11, 2011

A haunting call echoes across the Liuwa Plain. There is no answer, there hasn’t been for years. She has no pride, no support – she alone must safeguard her own survival. Her name is Lady Liuwa, and she is the Last Lioness. Isolated by a scourge of illegal trophy hunting that wiped out the rest of her species in the region, Lady Liuwa is the only known resident lion surviving on Zambia’s Liuwa Plain. For four years, cameraman Herbert Brauer watched her lonely life unfold, until, in her solitude, she reached out to him for companionship.

All rights belong to The National Geographic Society.

From Wildlife Extra:

Lady Liuwa update – Surviving lions have formed a small pride

Male and young lioness mating regularly

January 2013. After the younger of the 2 new lionesses was killed in a snare in June 2012, the second new lioness left the park and headed towards Angola. She was captured just before she crossed the border, and a decision was taken to put Lady Liuwa and the young lioness in a holding boma for several weeks. The decision proved to have been a wise one, and the two lionesses were released in October having bonded together well.

The lioness bonded well, and Lady was quick to establish her dominance over the young lioness (who in turn has shown appropriate submission) but has been tolerant, allowing the youngster to share wildebeest carcasses with her. Apart from a few growls at meal times, there has thankfully been no real aggression.

Wandering males leads to a lion death

On an unfortunate note, the two males (introduced into Liuwa in 2009) wandered north-west out of the park, with satellite tracking of the one collared male showing that he strayed 40 kilometres into Angola before doing a U-turn and hurrying back to the park. The second male did not return to the park and subsequent reports from local communities indicated that he had been killed in Angola after straying close to a village. The coalition of these two magnificent males was a stirring sight on the Liuwa plain and the loss is tragic.

Mating

Happier news ensued as the remaining male teamed up with Lady Liuwa and the young lioness, and the three have been co-existing as a unit ever since. The male and young lioness have been seen mating in November and there are hopes for cubs in 2013.

Liuwa National Park is managed by African Parks. African Parks is a non-profit organisation that takes total responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities. African Parks currently manages seven parks in six African countries – Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Zambia. The total area under management covers 4.1 million hectares, an area as large as The Netherlands.

Related articles

• Lady Liuwa – Daily Mail Newspaper Poster Girl RE – Banning of Lion Hunting in Zambia (greatcatsoftheworld.wordpress.com)
• The lonely lioness (retrieverman.net)
• No Trophy Hunting in Botswana and Zambia? (newswatch.nationalgeographic.com)
• Two new lion cubs at Bristol Zoo (bristolculture.wordpress.com)
• You looking at me? Curious lioness ignores dinner and gets up close and personal to photographer’s camera (dailymail.co.uk)

Egyptian lion goddess Sekhmet discovery

From Ahram Online in Egypt:

The lioness for real

A granite statue of the ancient Egyptian warrior goddess Sekhmet was unearthed today in the Mut Temple at Karnak on Luxor’s east bank

Nevine El-Aref, Wednesday 16 Jan 2013

During excavation and cleaning works in the Mut Temple at Karnak, a mission from the American Research Centre in Egypt (ARCE) stumbled on a very well preserved statue of the goddess Sekhmet. The statue is 180 cm tall and depicts Sekhmet as a lioness wearing the cobra and the Aten sun disk on her head and holding the ankh sign in her right hand and the lotus flower in her left.

“This is the first time a standing statue of the goddess Sekhmet in her original lioness form was found in the Mut Temple,” Mansour Boreik, the supervisor of Luxor antiquities, told Ahram Online. He added that previously discovered statues there depict Sekhmet seated with the facial features of the goddess Mut, the consort of the god Amun Re, not her original lioness figure.

The ARCE mission uncovered this statue within the sands of the Mut Temple’s second hall, within the framework of comprehensive restoration work carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of State for Antiquities (MSA). The project, which began in May 2012, aims at restoring the temple and its surroundings so that it can reopen to the public, as it has been closed since 1976.

The original plan includes the establishment of a visitor centre where a documentary about the goddess Mut and her role in ancient Egypt would be screened alongside photos of the temple before and after restoration.

The Mut Temple is one among several located at Karnak. For many years it stood in ruins beyond the south gate, some 200 meters south of Karnak’s 10th pylon. For some time now it has been undergoing restoration. The Napoleonic Expedition recorded one of the earliest plans of the Mut Temple as well as explorers and historians of the 19th century such as Nestor L’Hôte, whose drawings, made in 1839, recorded details of such temple. The Royal Prussian Expedition in 1842, led by Karl Lepsius and the first directors of the Department of Antiquities of Egypt, August Mariette and Gaston Maspero, had their own record of the monument. However, the first excavation and restoration work started in 1895 by two English women, Margaret Benson and Janet Gourlay.

Related articles

• Sekhmet’s bits: Forgotten statue uncovered (dailynewsegypt.com)
• Karnak: Temple Complex of Ancient Egypt (livescience.com)
• Egyptian Mythology (litteramedia.wordpress.com)
• Procession of Sekhmet, 01/09/2013. (satsekhem.wordpress.com)
• Egypt’s ancient monuments face modern sprawl (msnbc.msn.com)

Kenyan boy saves lion, cattle lives

This video says about itself:

July 5, 2012

Richard Turere, 13, received a scholarship to Brookhouse International School at 11, for outsmarting lions with five flashlight bulbs, a car battery and a solar panel.

From The Star in Kenya:

Kenya: 14-Year-Old Inventor Tapped For TED Talks

By Paula Kahumbu, 14 January 2013

TED Global has just announced that 14-year-old Kenyan Maasai inventor, Richard Turere, will speak at the next TED conference alongside Bono, the lead singer of U2 on February 26 in Long Beach, California.

Turere invented Lion Lights, an innovative solution to the human-lion conflict that has made major contributions to lion conservation and livestock protection.

TED is a conference that brings together people from the worlds of technology, entertainment, and design to share ideas Worth Spreading. The theme of the Long Beach conference is “The Young the Wise the Undiscovered”.

Richard was discovered during a community predator conservation project in Kitengela just south of Nairobi Park where six lions were slaughtered in June 2012.

The project is funded by National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative, and local NGO’s WildlifeDirect and Friends of Nairobi National Park (FoNNaP).

“We realised immediately that this was a golden opportunity to support and showcase local innovation and solutions to an age old problem of lion human conflict which was causing the decimation of Kenya’s lions,” says Paula Kahumbu, CEO of WildlifeDirect, who is also the Chair of FoNNaP and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

“Kenya’s lions have been reduced to fewer than 2,000 individuals as a result of killings in retaliation to livestock depredations. Apart from impoverishing Kenya’s wildlife heritage, the killing of lions by pastoralists threatens the tourism industry and the Kenyan economy.

Richard’s innovation has the dual advantage in that it saves lions and livestock” she added. Lion lights have been installed by conservationists across Kenya to support lion conservation efforts and are contributing to the protection of lions which is an endangered species in Kenya. Richard has installed them in the homes of six of his neighbours.

In his TED Talent search presentation in August 2012 Richard explained that since the age of nine he was responsible for his fathers cattle which were frequently attacked by lions from Nairobi National Park which is home to over 40 lions.

He concluded that since lions never attacked when he was awake walking around with a flashlight, he cold trick them into thinking that he was awake so that he could get some sleep.

At age 11 he came up with an innovative solution using ordinary components including LED torch bulbs, wires, batteries and solar panel and an indicator switch Richard connected these together in a novel way to achieve flashing lights or what he calls “Lion Lights”.

What makes this story even more extraordinary is that Richard Turere has never learned electronics at school or through books.

“I am very excited about going to America and meeting new people and sharing my ideas” stated a beaming Richard on learning that he had been selected from a panel of 20 Africans who competed for the opportunity to speak on an international TED stage.

He was the youngest candidate selected for the conference.He has also been granted a scholarship by Brookhouse International School. Dr Kahumbu will be accompanying Richard on his trip to the USA.

See also here.

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