Lion Lights
My Invention That Made Peace with Lions
Richard Turere author Shelly Pollock author Sonia Maria Luce Possentini illustrator
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Tilbury House,U.S.
Published:2nd Sep '22
Should be back in stock very soon
This is Richard Turere’s own story: Richard grew up in Kenya as a Maasai boy, herding his family’s cattle, which represented their wealth and livelihood. Richard’s challenge was to protect their cattle from the lions who prowled the night just outside the barrier of acacia branches that surrounded the farm’s boma or stockade. Though not well-educated, 12-year-old Richard loved tinkering with electronics. Using salvaged components, spending $10, he surrounded the boma with blinking lights, and the system works; it keeps lions away. His invention, Lion Lights, is now used in Africa, Asia and South America to protect farm animals from predators.
"There were a lot of efforts to protect lions and livestock. It was a conservation crisis, really. Expert solutions failed, but Richard came up with something that worked." -- Paula Kahumbu, executive director of the Kenya Land Conservation Trust; chairman of the Friends of Nairobi National Park; CEO of Wildlife Direct and National Geographic Explorer
"Lion Lights seem simple, but then again the best solutions always do. Since Richard invented his system, lions have never killed our livestock, and the tension between the Kenya Wildlife Service and local communities has been reduced." -- Dr. Charles Musyoki, Senior Scientist, Kenya Wildlife Service
"Richard’s system has been a huge success. People all over Kenya have begun copying his approach to safeguard their livestock—the concept is simple, cheap, and easily replicated. Many of those using it now have no knowledge of who the innovator is. Thank you, Richard!" -- Lucy Waruingi, African Conservation Centre; from The Lion Chaser: The Invention That Changed Farming in Kenya
ISBN: 9780884488859
Dimensions: 264mm x 239mm x 13mm
Weight: 445g
32 pages