Wildlife Safari Joins Forces on a Groundbreaking African Lion Conservation Research Project

Winston, OR - In a groundbreaking collaboration with the University of California-Santa Cruz and Washington State University, Wildlife Safari announces a landmark research project led by Dr. Terrie Williams. This initiative aims to study the energy and caloric demands of African lions, shedding light on factors influencing their hunting behaviors and potential conflicts with humans. "We're very excited to partner with the Wildlife Safari team and lions," said Dr. Williams. "For the first time we will be able to measure the athletic capabilities of adult African lions and then use the data to determine their biological drive to hunt. Ultimately, our goal is to convert that information into management plans to safeguard both humans and wild lions living on the African landscape." The project, conducted in two phases, involves metabolic measurements of adult African lions at Wildlife Safari. Using a specially designed treadmill and metabolic chamber, researchers analyze oxygen consumption and caloric expenditure, similar to methods used in human athlete studies. Video recordings of the exercising lions are also analyzed to determine step counts at different speeds. The gathered data will be crucial in understanding the lions' biological vulnerabilities and formulating conservation strategies for wild lion populations. Dan Brands, General Curator at Wildlife Safari said, "Wildlife Safari is excited to participate in this research project on Lion Energetics. We have never done a research project like this before and the uniqueness of the study makes it a very exciting project to learn more about the energy budgets of lions." Guests at Wildlife Safari will soon have the unique opportunity to witness the treadmill training sessions of the two female African lions, Serafina and Mtai, and learn more about this unique project during the Lion 101 encounter offered daily at 11:45am. "Wildlife Safari's carnivore team could not be more excited to be participating in this research project. We are always excited to help move conservation efforts forward for the animals we care for and their cousins in the wild" said Sarah Huse, Carnivore Supervisor at Wildlife Safari. "Our lionesses Serafina and Mtai will be the stars of the show as we embark on this groundbreaking data gathering for the wild lion populations in Africa. We are so excited to include this training during our daily lion encounter for the public to see up close and personal. Everyone should come and check it out!" The second phase of the project involves transferring the data to SMART wildlife collars, which will be deployed in African regions, including Masai Mara, Laikipia (Kenya), Kruger National Park (South Africa), and the Kalahari. The calibrated data aims to predict predation rates and guide conservation efforts to reduce human-animal conflicts involving lions. Via Wildlife Safari Release