Friday Catblogging: Can Humans and Lions Get Along?

“Lions are really causing us havoc,” laments an African pastoralist in Nani Walker and Alan Toth’s short documentary, Living with Lions. The film chronicles the conflict between lions and humans in Laikipia County, Kenya, where drought and urbanization have pushed people and wildlife into closer contact. Conservationists attempt to mitigate the encounters, which often begin with hunted livestock and end with a lion killed in retaliation. But these efforts are complicated by the thousands of herders driving livestock into Africa’s protected areas.

Walker and Toth’s even-handed film explores all sides of the issue. While global awareness of conservation efforts is important, Walker told The Atlantic, “armchair conservation is out of touch with reality. At its core, conservation is a local effort.”