The African Stars

Africa is the second largest continent in the world. Over 1.3 billion people call it life; home. From the Atlantic to the Sahara, cacao to the capes, Africa is a very diverse continent. Amidst all of the diversity, there is loss. However, this reality will not last long, as someone or something will change the fate of many.

The Hunger Games

In Africa, specifically sub-Saharan, food is vital, but access to it is limited for many people. Africa’s livestock industry is not mass-produced like livestock farms in the United States. In the states, it is common for cows to be confined in large silos with tiny cages for milk collection or slaughtered for their meat. In contrast, many cows in Africa are raised on traditional farms where they can graze freely. However, many farms cannot maintain well-kept fences. This results in competition between humans and lions, for the prized resource, cattle.

Hold on, give me one second. I need to straighten my microphone. *coughs*

In one corner, we have… drumroll please… Humans! *applaud here*

And in the second corner, the opponent to the challenger, the pride of the Savannah and jungle, please welcome lions! *roars echo*

Thank you folks for listening. Commentator, signing off.

Lions- a significant problem and competitor in Africa, prey on the livestock of many farmers. Lions are big. Some males can reach just short of 600 pounds, while females can weigh almost 300 pounds. With all this weight, a tyrannic diet follows. They have been known to feed on many things from small vermin to sizable herbivorous animals. Over the past years, human populations have expanded vastly in Africa. However, this has created some drama, as humans intrude on the habitats of animals. With more people, the demand for food rises, leading humans to hunt the prey of large predators. This causes a dilemma. Where do the lions eat? If the humans deplete the lion’s food sources, the lion will take theirs. And so, lions, desperate for food, began consistently attacking and killing livestock for food, mainly cattle. For farmers, this livestock is important and valuable, often costing around $1,000 each. Faced with these losses, farmers had to defend their resources.

In the same way they retrieved food from the wilderness, people began massacring the lions. Some used toxic substances to spread over their lands, while others resorted to spears. It seemed like a success- or was it? From 2008 to 2009, Kenya had around 23,000 lions. However, by 2010, the lion population in Kenya dropped to a mere 2,000. Even today, the population struggles, with about only 2,500 lions remaining. The lions faced a serious problem. If this continued, the population of Kenyan lions could go extinct. The lions couldn´t make a change- but humans could. And one man, Richard Turere, wanted to make a difference.

Nothing is Impossible

Turere was just eleven years old when he started managing his family’s livestock. Richard Turere lived in the Maasai tribe of Kenya, located next to the Nairobi National Park. This proximity would soon become a problem. While their livestock enclosure had walls on most sides, the southern side, near the Maasai tribe, did not have a fence. Lions found their place. Richard often had to protect the cattle multiple times a day. Sadly, his efforts did not always prevail; they sometimes lost nine cows a week. He wanted to find a better solution. Richard not only wanted the best for his people, but he also didn’t want harm to come to the lions, their ferocious counterparts.

Turere searched for a solution. His first instinct was a peaceful approach. So, his first attempt was…a scarecrow. It did not go well. In the beginning, the lions stayed back. Before long, they caught on to his tactics and preyed on the precious livestock. Next, he tried a bulkier protection—a dark shed. As well, the lions caught on, but quicker as they could still smell the cattle. Trial and error was at its peak. However, Turere had an idea- a solution. 

He stated that he learned about electronics via “breaking [them]” (Crellin). He sometimes broke things and found a certain attraction, like the time when he broke his mother’s radio. This curiosity led him to create new devices, like an electric fan out of spare parts. It was his time to shine. Richard’s genius first sparked from observing others. When out and about, he saw people patrolling with flashlights. He also noticed that lions kept their distance from this. So he built what he saw. He decided to engineer an LED light contraption to test his theory. He set the lights up and turned them on. The show began.

Ever since Turre developed his solution, his family hasn’t suffered a single attack on their cattle, and neither have others he’s helped. His innovation has had a widespread impact. After adjustments like adding multiple sequences to remove predictability, adding solar and wind power compatibility, and lowering the price to just around twenty dollars USD, he was ready. Lion Lights™ was officially launched. 

Lion Lights™ is a system of LED lights placed around the cattle corral. The lights would begin to flash in many different patterns making it hard to track, or similar to human movement. It seemed perfect. Yet, there was one more struggle. People. In the Maasai village, coaxing people to use the revolutionary technology was hard. Many folks had little to no experience with managing the technology. Still, Turere powered through, and eventually, he brought it to many Kenyans. 

Today, there are over 2,000 Lion Lights located on Kenyan cattle farms. However, Turere dreamed farther than any country borders. Now, it is being used in other African countries from Botswana to Namibia, and even from Tanzania to Zimbabwe. This was massive. Despite this, oceans are bigger. Across the Atlantic Ocean to the forested and deserted South America, Lion Lights™ has made its way to Argentina for Pumas. Lion Lights™ can be found in India for multiple animals. The revolutionary technology addressed a crisis that once threatened the survival of both humans and wildlife, allowing both lions and humans to coexist peacefully in their respective habitats.

Richard Turere is a true inspiration. At the ripe, yet youthful age of eleven, he wanted to impact others. Not just for himself, not just for the Maasai tribe, not just for his country but for the entire world. Turere’s achievement shows us that kindness knows no limits and is not just shown to humans. He demonstrated that compassion isn’t limited to people; it can be shared with all living beings, regardless of how they look, live, or eat. The world is a better place because of what Richard Turere has accomplished. We all have the power to carry his legacy forward and shine as bright as The African Stars.