ROAR OF THE VUVUZELA KEEPS HUNGRY LIONS AT BAY
IF you hate the vuvuzela, you are not alone — lions in Zimbabwe also run at the sound of the noisy plastic horn.
The vuvuzela, made famous by South African supporters during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, has found a purpose beyond the stands at the country’s soccer grounds. It is being used to chase lions away from livestock in Zimbabwe.
The vuvuzela is now the weapon of choice for a select band of people known as the Long Shields Lion Guardians.
Thanks largely to their work, livestock loss has dropped by 50% over the past five years in some areas in Zimbabwe.
Using the horn to scare predators, particularly lions, was the brainwave of Zimbabwe-born Andrew Loveridge, a wildlife biologist and research fellow at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford University. His team’s work on community wildlife conflict has extended across Zimbabwe and into Botswana and Namibia.
According to the unit, modern conservation means addressing not only the wellbeing of wild animals, but also that of the people who live alongside them.
And it seemed to be working — because lions hated noise, said Loveridge. “You can use anything that makes a noise, but vuvuzelas are sustainable by being easy to carry, light and cheap.
“We saw the humour in it. Everyone knows what a vuvuzela is and that it makes the most unpleasant noise,” Loveridge said.
The unit’s initiative began in 2008 in Zimbabwe in villages around Hwange National Park. It includes a village warning system through WhatsApp, better corralling of livestock, mobile bomas and chasing marauding lions back into the park using vuvuzelas.
Sound measurement tests conducted by hearing-aid manufacturer Phonak in the run-up to the World Cup found that the plastic trumpet reached 127 decibels, higher than those of a chainsaw, a ref’s whistle or a jackhammer.
The project is also running in two villages in the Victoria Falls area through the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust.
Project co-ordinator Bongani Dlodlo is responsible for overseeing the work of four community guardians, selected by village chiefs.
“There is little employment in the area. So the guardians are proud of their job and their uniform,” he said.
Apart from lions, elephants are also responsible for crop destruction and must be sent packing.
“The vuvuzela has a sound like no other. It travels so far that people don’t even need a WhatsApp to tell them that lions are close.
“They hear the vuvuzelas and immediately move their cattle in a different direction,” said Dlodlo.
The lion guardian project was modelled on a similar initiative in Kenya where local residents were selected and trained to help address the community-lion conflict.
“With demands for agricultural land intensifying, the conflict has been exacerbated,” said Loveridge, who has dedicated his life to protecting lions.
He admitted that changing the attitude of villagers takes time.
“Lions are intelligent. You can teach them to stay away, which is more sustainable than shooting one and having another one immediately come along. Getting people to understand that was a challenge,” he said.
The project, however, now appears to be working.
“We are continually collecting data on livestock lost. We have reduced livestock reduction by 50% in the past five years.
“People are a lot less inclined to kill lions if they feel [there] is another solution, so there has been a decline in lion mortality,” he said.