Lion King of Liuwa Plain, affectionately known as Bon Jovi.
By Fergus Flynn
Zambia has always been a spectacular hunting and wildlife destination. It devotes some 30% of its land area to National Parks and GMAs (Game management areas), the equivalent of 225,000 km². The largest is West Zambezi GMA, an area of some 38,000 km². Fifty years ago, the area was rich in wildlife from top to bottom, but the slow and relentless settling of people and the pressure on the fish and game stocks has led to much of the area losing significant numbers in its game population and fish stocks. This has been particularly devastating for the cats, most notably the lion. This, of course, is not unique to this area. Population losses across the Continent are staggering. It is estimated that some 200,000 lions roamed Africa just 100 years ago. Today that figure is closer to 25,000 because of habitat loss, collapsing prey numbers and persecution.
In Western Zambia, the most famous National Park is Liuwa Plains which, during the rainy season, is host to the second-largest wildebeest migration in Africa after Serengeti/Masai Mara. National Geographic made a wonderful film about the last lioness to survive within Liuwa National Park and she was affectionally known as Lady Liuwa. First seen in 2002, she roamed the plains alone for many years but, remarkably, she trusted humans and was seen around a particular camp for years. An ambitious translocation programme to establish a new base population, took place in 2007 with the support of the Barotse Royal Establishment, the conservation Organisation Africa Parks and the Department of National parks and Wildlife. Ultimately there were two operations involving both males and females being moved from the Kafue National Park to Liuwa NP. Although Lady Liuwa herself never produced cubs, she bonded closely with the new introductions and clearly played a pivotal role in establishing a settled base lion population in the area. She finally died of natural causes in 2017 at an estimated age of 17. The photo at the lead of the article shows how even translocated lion go on to grow magnificent manes. This particular lion is the supreme leader of the pride known as Bon Jovi. He killed his brother to have total dominance of the present pride. The plains environment and plentiful prey could have been significant contributing factors in producing such fine specimens. There are now 15 lions in the area, but they are competing with 300 hyena which may have something to do with the slow increase in the population – purely speculation on my part.
Having been bought up in Uganda and Kenya, I was privileged to visit some of the great East African wildlife conservation blocks including the Masai Mara and Serengeti complex. The black-maned lions in that area were truly magnificent. The sight of big prides dominated by huge males was a sight to behold.
An exceptional Matetsi lion (Zimbabwe) taken by an overseas client. The PH was the late Giorgio Grasselli.
In 1979, aged 26 I was fortunate to be offered a job in my field, that of livestock production with the then biggest cattle and butchery operation in Zambia. The country offered many opportunities to enjoy its rich and varied habitat and wildlife. I was also a keen hunter having shot my first Thompson’s gazelle at aged 10 in Kenya, but in 1977 hunting was banned in that country. In contrast, Zambia has through the decades, provided many opportunities from plains game (Kafue and black lechwe through to Livingstone’s eland) to big game, particularly buffalo. Cats did not feature for most resident hunters, but for the discerning overseas client there were exceptional opportunities including the lion of West Zambezi. I spoke to some residents whose work took them to the west of the country and lions were shot regularly to assist in protecting the local cattle herds. The accompanying photos demonstrate the size of those lion (see the paws!) and their extraordinary manes. Although I never hunted lion (leopard yes) I was hugely interested in Zambian lion and these lions in particular. They were exceptional. There were several professional hunters who stated that the best-maned lions in the country were to be found in the Western block. One professional hunting friend said that he never showed pictures of lion trophies taken there to subsequent clients because they were so superior to any other area in the country, mane-wise.
Examples of the trophy quality that used to exist in Western Zambia (photos kept from old Safari magazine).
Some argued that for sheer size the Mumbwa West hunting concession (Kafue) supported the best and were bigger than any found anywhere else in countries where lions were hunted. It is debated to this day, but the lion population of Zambia has always remained healthy numerically, with specimens of exceptional quality to be found. However, it is also a fact that many African countries overshot their quotas because the Game Departments were desperate for revenue. Unfortunately, because of the complexities of lion society, it takes many years to produce a mature lion beyond breeding age, the key factors being space, time and available prey. A rapidly rising human population has put an ever-increasing pressure on that space, and inevitably lion populations have become fragmented, and in many instances are in decline.
In the context of legally taken lion, the selection process for the hunter is much more scientific today than in earlier years, and in 2023 for example, only 18 lions were legally taken in the whole of Zambia for that year. All were fully mature, past their prime, and the number of individual animals was approved by the Department of National Parks through recorded footage by camcorder on baits.
In the last two decades there have been some extraordinary developments on the conservation side where huge areas are being run professionally and effectively to ensure habitat and wildlife protection. And there is a very clear recognition that without the support of the communities living within and around these areas there is no long-term hope. Huge emphasis is presently being placed on education and health, but perhaps the most important element, that of community upliftment/development still holds a relatively low profile in terms of funding. Although in the context of this article we are referring to the Western Province of Zambia, the bigger picture is KAZA (Kavango-Zambezi Trans frontier Conservation area), an area covering 520000 km² involving five different nations and coordinated by Peace Parks.
The above map shows the Kaza Conservation Area in the context of the African Continent.
The Kaza block in more detail (note the location of Sioma Ngwezi and Liuwa Plain). The blue arrows indicate the theoretical movement of elephant and other species within the conservation block.
Presently, only the southern sector of the province falls under the stewardship of KAZA but the conservation block has expanded over recent years so one hopes that the Liuwa Block and beyond may one day be incorporated into a further expansion phase. Two of the fundamental pillars of the agreement is the protection of habitat and wildlife and the provision of corridors to allow the passage of migrating wildlife. Fundamental to the agreement is the participation, involvement and benefit that the communities must gain through the area’s natural resource wealth. The creation of such corridors might just allow isolated lion populations to mix, thus ensuring an injection of new genes on a regular basis. Historically there seems to be little doubt that the famous Liuwa lion and that of Western Zambia were linked to the so called “desert lion” of Namibia/Northern Botswana.
For the hunter, in the long term, this may once again present opportunities to take some of the great lions on the Continent, and much of the revenue created from licence fees would be returned to the communities living in the areas and encourage further protection of wildlife and preservation of habitat.
Politicians from the Western world need to understand that the people of Africa realise that in the context of wildlife and habitat, “if there is no value, there is no future”. Lions are now restricted to 20% of their historical range and we need to support efforts to ensure that the rapid exploitation of our global natural resources is halted and ultimately reversed. We have lost 70% of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians which lived on this planet in the last 50 years. Whilst KAZA with its 520,000 km ² and Western Province with its 126,000 km² are big areas, their future is dependent on using/harvesting/protecting their resources sensibly and sustainably. One part of that process is the reestablishment of apex predators such as the lion. These need vast areas to survive and thrive.
Hunters can ensure the survival of many species and the protection of key habitats by bringing in hunting revenue. Africa needs more hunters, not less. There is little or no chance for these precious habitats to survive unless those communities living within those areas see a positive benefit – and hunting revenue can be a huge financial incentive. It is worth remembering that Africa has the fastest-growing human population on the planet and the Continent is considered pivotal in determining the future of the planet in terms of climate change.
If Africa’s young population choose conventional energy (oil) over more sustainable systems, then maybe no one has a future. In that context, the true worth of the global and local hunting community by ensuring the sustained protection of these huge areas may be appreciated in the context of having a positive and profound contribution measured far beyond the issues of the importation of horns, skins or ivory. Decisions must ultimately be driven by rational thinking and not by irrational emotions.
A Sioma Ngwezi lion, an example of the Katanga gene pool of southwest Africa.
The death of a wild lion can only be from fighting with other lions or other species such as hyena; starvation; poisoning; snaring or shooting. Most of those options are lingering and slow. A hunter’s bullet is, in most cases, by far the quickest and most humane. It also offers by far the greatest financial gain to the area in which it was hunted.
