Lions are one of the most feared and revered animals in the world: from the beginning of recorded history, people have loved, and hated, lions for their skill in hunting.
A lion on a decorative panel from
the Persian Empire, 500 - 330 BC.
World lion populations have been going down at an alarming rate; an estimated 30 - 50% in the last two decades! Leading causes to this drastic decline are habitat destruction, and humans retaliating with firearms for lost cattle.
On the edge of Nairobi National Park in Kenya, thirteen-year-old Richard Turere tends to his family's cattle. He has been caring for the cattle since he was just nine years old; a huge responsibility as the cattle are one of the most precious possessions the family owns. "I'd take them out in the morning and bring them back in the evening. We put them in a small cow shed at night." This is when the lions would attack the cattle—leaving Richard to count the losses in the morning.
Richard Turere, age thirteen, in Kenya.
Richard knew there had to be something the lions were afraid of, other than a gun. Then the solution came to him when one night when he was walking about with a flashlight. He noticed that the lions were afraid of the moving light he held—and after tinkering for three weeks, an invention was born of broken flashlights and an indicator box from a motor cycle: Lion Lights!
Richard rigged these light around the cow shed, and at night, they flash on and off as if a human were walking around. The contraption was so successful at keeping the lions away, his neighbors asked him to install Lion Lights on their own properties. Since then, the invention has spread all throughout Kenya, and made its way into Zambia and Tanzania, too. A person from India is even trying them out for tigers.
A Lion Light.
By coming up with a simple, affordable, and working solution to the issue of lions eating livestock, Richard has earned himself a scholarship in Kenya's best school—go Richard! Let's put all our minds together to come up with more ingenious yet simple ideas to save our amazing world!
Basking in the victory of Richard's invention, this lion can live without fear of being hurt by the humans. <> ~ <> ~ <> ~ <> Check out this great video about Richard and the Lion Lights!
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