MPCP GPS Collar Update

We are delighted to share that after a donation from our zoo partner Noah's Ark Zoo Farm we have now been able to send £1500 to sponsor the refurbishment of a GPS collar through the Mara Predator Conservation Programme which operates in the Maasai Mara in Kenya.

Over the years we have donated the funds to cover the cost of two GPS collars, one of which was used for a two year period on a male lion named "Ole Cook". By wearing the GPS collar the team are able to track him in real time, alerting herders to his presence if he wandered near community land. Niels Mogensen, Senior Programme Scientist of the MPCP showed us on a visit to the Mara in February 2025 how they use the computer programme 'Earth Ranger' to track and monitor the lions and other collared carnivores within the landscape and how other uses are alerted to their presence with each imaginary boundary having an alert system in place if one of the collared animals comes close or crosses.

The support of the Safina Lion Conservation Fund has played a vital role in our lion conservation efforts. By helping fund GPS collars and field monitoring, Safina has enabled us to track lions in real time, reduce human-wildlife conflict, and better understand the challenges lions face in an increasingly human-dominated landscape. Each collar provides invaluable information that helps us protect individual lions, support local communities, and ensure that conservation decisions are guided by sound science.”

— Niels Mogensen, Senior Programme Scientist - Mara, Mara Predator Conservation Programme

The photos above show Niels fitting a collar onto Ole Cook as well as some closer images of the collar itself during this process. The collar consists of a tough belt that fits around the neck, with the GPS unit on the top and the battery unit on the bottom. There are strict protocols in place regarding the ethics of the use of collars that are adhered to by the team to ensure that the collars do not affect the life or survival of the animal in question.

The GPS collars have also given the team the opportunity to collect and analyse important data on lion movement patterns over the two year period, shedding more light on lion behaviour along with other collared lions within the programme. This important research has recently been published by Niels Mogensen and his team and makes for very interesting reading.

We would like to thank the team at the Mara Predator Conservation Programme for allowing us to use the photos and text provided and we hope to keep you all updated soon now the collar has been sent for refurbishment on its progress.