A modern twist on a traditional structure in Tanzania has proved successful in preventing African lion attacks on livestock and retaliatory killing of lions, according to a new report.

The Maasai people of East Africa have long lived inside bomas, family compounds made of concentric rings of acacia thorns that encircle their huts and provide protection for both humans and livestock.

But because the thorns degrade quickly in the sun, bomas are not enough to keep out animals such as lions, hyenas, and leopards, which are capable of slinking through spaces in the dried-out barrier to reach their prey. When these big cats invade the compound and kill livestock, the Maasai often turn around and kill the predators in retaliation.