lions of Akagera National Park of Rwanda

We also feel that Rwanda is one of the most spectacular and it’s surely a remarkable country on the African continent and unconditionally love travelling there. One of the most extraordinary stories in the gem of a country and is the story of Akagera National park and its lions. Now although Rwanda’s other two national parks Volcanoes national park with its mountain gorillas and Nyungwe national parks and its chimpanzees. This often gets top billing you must visit all the 3 of the country’s very different national parks. Akagera national park is so stunning and even more outstanding.

In the year of 1992, following the Rwanda civil war, much of the park was also moved as farmland for returning the refugees, hence leaving it significantly smaller than it was originally. The war had also taken its peal on the national park, completely destroying Akagera’s wildlife and wiping out all the lion population. This was added on by the highest population density with in the continental Africa, which meant that Rwanda had gone through huge and extensive biodiversity loss/.

In the year 2009, the African parks which is a nonprofit conservation organization that takes on the direct responsibility for the restoration and the long term management of protected areas in connection with government and local communities, these signed a joint management agreement with Rwanda Development Board (RDB) of starting the Akagera Management Company (AMC) in 2010 with the boarders from both RDB and Africa parks jointly managing the park.

This cooperation partnership has also supervised many of amazing flagship projects, which have not only brought about employment for the local community, but also improved the park’s tourism appeal and alleviated human wildlife conflicts.

The three lion cubs assessed to be around six weeks old, were also spotted with their mother, Shema. Their arrival has been keenly expected and brought the total number of lions in Akagera and Rwanda to 10.

Shema, who is now 11 years old, the eldest of the females moved to the park in 2015, is also an experienced mother and is also known to have had three past liters before her being movement, including 2 year old Amahoro , who was brought to Akagera along with shema. Their father, Ntwari, is the 5 year old dominant male.

Many cubs are born to sisters Umwari and Kazi were also expected in the near future, who were also viewed mating with Ntwari and sure enough in just ten months, and since the historic reintroduction of seven lions to Akagera that happened last year, 4 more cubs were being confirmed in June replicating the population and the bringing the total number of lions totals to 14 for the park and the country.

The park is so impressively beautiful park and also an ongoing success story. There are also plans in place of reintroducing the black Rhinos, which is a species that has been seen since 2007, which would make this Rwanda’s only Big Five Park.

The major achievement of the African arks also continues with the variety of  animals poached having reduced from 180 in 2012 to 29 in 2014 and with many local people being employed by the Akagera Management company.

We also encourage the people to always support African parks and also visit not only Akagera, but their other nine parks in 6 other countries including; Central African Republic, Chad, DRC, Zambia and Malawi.

Visit Akagera and you will not regret at all, you will also be able to see preservation and conservation of wildlife in action and also a contagious glimpse of all the new cubs which is also so special.