The
death of Xpl-3.
The death of the Hoanib Male (Xpl-3 or "Adolf") marks
the end of an era. Xpl-3 was born in September 1998 near the Aub
Canyon. Along with four siblings, he emigrated from the Aub/Barab
area to the Hoanib & Hoaruseb Rivers between 2001 & 2002
(see animation below). Xpl-3 died from bullet wounds on 21 November
2009. The investigation into his death is ongoing.
Animation
of how the home range of Xpl-3 changed between 2000 and 2009
(right).
Images
of Xpl-3 captured during the ten years that he was observed (below).
November
1999
March
2000
August
2001 - Clay Castles
December
2004
August
2007
May
2008
Novwnbwe
2008 (Laura Brown)
February
2009
May
2009
July
2009
August
2009
September
2009
Since
the GPS collar was fitted to Xpl-3 in May 2008 we have learnt a
lot about his movements. Much of which was unknown, even though
he has been radio collared and studied, using conventional radio
telemetry, for almost ten years. This has been a humbling experience
because, prior to the GPS collars, I honestly believed that I understood
the movements of the desert lions. This was, admittedly, an arrogant
mistake and the results from the GPS collar revealed that he regularly
moves between both the Hoanib Floodplain Pride and the Hoanib/Hunkap
Pride, with occasional visits to the Hoaruseb River. Based on these
interesting results it was decided that Xpl-3 should be fitted with
the Satellite GPS collar, originally on Xpl-16
“Miles” from the Ugab River. On 14 Nov 2008 “Adolf”
(Xpl-3) was darted on the Hoanib Floodplain and fitted with the
Satellite GPS collar.
The
Satellite GPS collar is unique in that we receive daily updates
on the movements of the lion. The collar was programmed to
record eleven position co-ordinates (fixes) per day. At the
end of each day the collar transfers the fixes to the Televilt
server in Sweden, via a commercial satellite communications
network, and an email, with the GPS fixes, is then sent to
the Desert Lion Conservation (see copy of email - right).
Originally
the adult male lion "Adolf" (Xpl-3) was selected
to carry the GPS collar designated for the Hoanib Floodplain
Pride. He has a remarkable history and is the only surviving
member of 11 male cubs born in September 1998; that marked
the recovery of the lion population. At the age of ten years
"Adolf" is in remarkably good condition, and he
is the oldest and most prolific male in the Desert population.
Darting
history of Xpl-3
Dart
1) Nov 1999 - 14 months
Dart
2) Feb 2001 - 2 yr 3 mo
Dart
3) July 2002 - 3 yr 8 mo
Dart
4) Dec 2004 - 6 yr 3 mo
Dart
5) August
2007 - 9 years "King
of the Desert."
Dart
6) May 2008 - 9 yr 6 mo (fitting the GPS collar)
Dart
7) November 2008 - 10 yr 3 mo (fitting the Satellite GPS collar)
Full
movement animation of Xpl-3 prior to his death on 21 November 2009.
Detailed movement animations are now also available for
the period between August and November 2009 (see below).
