British Broadcastong Corporation's filming crew has revealed that they were devastated during a recent visit to Kenya to film the endangered Marsh Pride lions in Masai Mara.
According to the BBC's Dynasties’ camerawoman Sophie Darlington, Kenyan farmers used toxic meat to poison the pride in a move to protect their cattle during a graze at the protected territory.
The crew had embarked on a more detailed filming of the famous pride, a move that had not been tried before.
“We were all incredibly sad – it was so out of our control. There was nothing anyone could do. There have been days where I’ve seen things that break your heart and, of course, you do get upset,” she stated.
The crew made the revelation after they discovered that the male Marsh Pride had left their two female counterparts to do all the hunting while protecting eight young ones at the same time.
The episode, which is yet to air, will also reveal how a flying squad vets swooped in by helicopter to rescue the lions that were worst affected by the poison.
The documentary sought to shed light on how humans and wildlife were in battle over territory in Africa.
“The poisoning is brutal and heart-breaking – but it’s important to know all these animals don’t live in a chocolate-box environment.
“There’s just not enough space or wilderness in the world and... lions are in desperate trouble... So I’m glad that this brings that to light,” continued Darlington.
Lions are facing hard times with their numbers declining by more than half to 20,000 in 20 years. In Kenya, only 2,000 lions remain with an estimated decrease rate of 100 per year.
