Game Scouts

MWCT employs nearly 50 game scouts who are stationed throughout the Group Ranch. Some of the game scouts are young Maasai warriors who use their traditional skills to track and monitor lions. This way, the warriors are involved in protecting the lions instead of killing them as the warriors sometimes would do to prove their manhood. Lions are no longer being widely hunted as in the past, since they are seen as income through the profits of sustainable tourism.

The game scouts are stationed across a wide area up to three hours from Campi ya Kanzi, in places without power or facilities. We depend upon radios for communication multiple times each day. If an incident occurs, a scout radios the camp and the MWCT four wheel drive vehicle is sent to assist in an arrest or whatever the need may be. Supporting the game scouts consumes a large portion of our resources. The scouts need equipment such as uniforms, radios, solar systems for recharging radio batteries, flashlights, boots, and food and accommodation. We are very pleased to have recently purchased 10 new tin huts to provide shelter for the scouts in various locations.

Simba Scouts: simba means lion in Kiswahili. In the past warriors had to demonstrate their manhood by spearing a lion. We decided to give a different brave task to our Maasai warriors: becoming the guardian of the lions! Eight scouts are hired only to track and monitor the lion populations, using their traditional skills of tracking and stalking. Lions group are given names and monitor daily. If livestock is grazing nearby, Maasai herdsmen are advised of a lion’s presence, in order to avoid possible predation.