Preserving lions and culture: Conflicting standards of human–wildlife conflict

Conservation biologists predict that human–wildlife conflicts will increase in the near future as climate change forces the migration of both human and animal populations in search of increasingly scarce resources. These conflicts often capture international attention pitting wildlife against human communities, which are framed as savage hunters or uncaring consumerists. This framing often presumes that wildlife killing is optional, a sport or an outdated cultural activity. And while it may at times be all three, rural and traditional communities also argue that at times it is necessary to kill wildlife to save their children, communities and wildlife. This article explores one instance of such clash between human and wildlife communities, when in 2012 Maasai herders in southern Kenya were accused of illegally hunting and killing lions. Through an examination of multiple media sources, I ask how these events were framed, in what ways were the Maasai community’s traditions and perspective reported, and how did international stakeholders construct value criteria from which they argued for the protection of wildlife and against the protection of indigenous communities. Through this study, I aim to better understand the nuances of human–wildlife conservation and the differing ways that events are understood in local and international reporting.