Our mission is to tackle the complicated issues around lion conservation through advocacy for direct international funding for African wildlife reserves and development of innovative strategies to protect both lions and vulnerable human communities in an ever-evolving landscape.

Dr. Craig Packer, Founder
Considered the world’s foremost expert on African lions, Dr. Craig Packer is a Distinguished McKnight Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota. He established the world’s first research center dedicated to the study of lions in 1986. Working with a team of PhD students and dividing his time between Minnesota and Africa, Dr. Packer’s studies of lion behavior have shaped much of what is known about these animals. Craig Packer's Bio
The Team

Jessica Burkhart
GRADUATE RESEARCHER
Jessica is examining the link between oxytocin and social behavior in lions, to see if this can be used to help bonding during lion re-location. Jessica Burkhart's Bio

Abby Guthmann
GRADUATE RESEARCHER
Abby studies how livestock grazing impacts ecostsyem functioning and food-web dynamics in Kenyan Conservancies. Abby Guthmann's Bio

Dr. Natalia Borrego
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER
Natalia’s work focuses on the evolutionary links between social, ecological, and cognitive complexity in lions. Natalia Borrego's Bio

John Heydinger
GRADUATE RESEARCHER AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY EXPLORER
John studies the unique desert-adapted lions of northwest Namibia and works with local communities to prevent human-lion conflict. John Heydinger's Bio