I am visiting the Niassa National Reserve in Mozambique to better understand how the Houston Zoo can assist with the conservation of lions in the park.

After dinner on a few evenings we have taken the opportunity to drive back out looking for lions and leopards, and have been surprised at the amount of wildlife we are coming across that is not as visible during the day. Impalas are everywhere in much larger numbers than the daytime, but it is the random encounters with hippo, African buffalo and elephants that show how much wildlife is out here.

Then, there are the small animals including genet, civet, bushbaby, white-tailed mongoose, and my favorite so far – the four-toed elephant shrew, which help us wind down from a long day.  There is not much information on many of the smaller species up in this region. Most field guides cover South Africa and southern Mozambique as well as Tanzania to the north, but there are some subtle differences to a few of the animals here that make them hard to identify exactly as they shuffle out of photo range.

Niassa Lion Project is not just about lions, it is about protecting the whole ecosystem and the communities that live within it.  If we don’t make everyone more aware that this grand wilderness can be lost if there are not plans in place for managing hunting concessions and assisting the communities with food and water security issues, Niassa will be quickly lost and with it populations of lions, elephants and even the small things we only see at night.

Keep coming back to hear more about my experience with the lions of Mozambique.

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