Predator Compensation

Twenty years ago, the lion population in Amboseli was headed for local extinction. Thanks to the efforts of Big Life and our lion conservation partners, today the ecosystem is home to more than 250 lions, one of the few lion populations in all of Africa that is growing, not declining.

The core component of our Predator Protection Program is livestock compensation. The Predator Compensation Fund (PCF) was started in 2003 and pays Maasai livestock owners a portion of the value of their livestock lost to predators, on the condition that no predators are killed in retaliation. Big Life Verification Officers are dispatched to the scene to confirm all depredations, and penalties are applied for poor animal husbandry practices. The community provides 30% of the total compensation paid. Fines are assessed and payments are withheld if any predators are killed by members of participating communities. In Kenya, PCF offers varying levels of compensation of livestock killed by lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas.

Big Life currently manages PCF on Mbirikani and Eselengei Group Ranches, and in the Kimana Conservancies. Given the success of this program, the goal is to expand the PCF across the ecosystem. The scale of the program has soared in recent years, as severe droughts have meant weakened livestock, and weakened livestock are easy pickings for predators.

VIDEO: Big Life Predator Compensation Fund Film

A short film outlining Big Life's efforts to protect lions and other predators, and the remarkable success our compensation fund has created Running Time : 3:10